Admin

Photo courtesy of Lamar Athletics The Lamar Cardinals needed a win on Thursday to stay alive in the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament and they got just that. First baseman Brayden Evans hit two home runs and had 4 RBI's as the Cardinals tallied 12 runs on 12 hits, eliminating the Demons from tournament play with a 12-5 victory. River Orsak hit a solo homer in the sixth inning and finished the day 2-5 at the plate with a double. The game was essentially out of reach for the Demons in the second inning when Lamar put up eight runs against Northwester State pitcher Dawson Flowers. The Cardinals will play next at 9:00 am on Friday against the winner of the UIW vs. McNeese game which takes place at 4:00 PM on Thursday.

Photo courtesy Lamar Athletics Eighth-seeded UIW defeated top-seeded Lamar 6-3 in the first round of the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field in Hammond, La. Incarnate Word scored all of their runs in the eighth and ninth innings to overcome what was a 2-0 lead by the Cardinals through four innings. Lamar trailed 3-2 headed into the bottom eighth inning but tied it up thanks to a sacrifice fly by Ethan Ruiz which scored Austin Roccaforte. Cameron Caley's three-run homer in the ninth gave UIW a 6-3 lead, one that they would not relinquish. Lamar falls to the loser's bracket and will face an elimination game against Northwestern State at 9:00 am on Wednesday.

Lamar University won its first ever conference Commissioner's Cup Trophy on Monday, which is awarded to the athletics program that tallies the most points based on success in an academic year. The honor comes on the heels of the Cardinals claiming their first Southland regular season baseball championship since 2004. Lamar bolstered its case for the trophy with conference titles in women's basketball, soccer and cross-country. The men and women's programs amassed a total of 124.5 points to win the Trophy, edging McNeese State by a total of 14 points. Lamar Director of Athletics Jeff O'Malley expressed his excitement for the university and the community of Beaumont. "Graduating student-athletes and celebrating their success in the competition arena is why we're in this business. There is a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes to make this possible. I couldn't be prouder of our teams, coaches and staff. This is a true reflection of the dedication of the entire university, our fans and the Beaumont community. For our institution to accomplish something that has never been done before is a rewarding way to end a very special season."