North Dakota State takes doubleheader from Lamar
Published 9:50 pm Saturday, February 27, 2016
Lamar sports information
BEAUMONT — The Lamar baseball team had its season-opening win streak snapped Saturday when the Cardinals were swept in a doubleheader at the hand of North Dakota State, 7-6 and 3-0, at Vincent-Beck Stadium in non-conference action.
With the win Friday night and two losses Saturday, the Cardinals (6-2) will look to even the four-game set at 11 a.m. today. This is Youth Sunday and all Little Leaguers in uniform get in free, and all kids are allowed to run the bases postgame.
Errors really crippled Lamar in the first game on Saturday, four miscues and a passed ball allowed six unearned run in the 7-6 loss. Big Red had a 6-2 lead at one point in the game, but a two errors in the seventh allowed the Bison to score two runs and another in the eighth aided three to touch home plate to take the lead.
Lamar rallied from down 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning when five straight Cardinals in the order scored a run. Cutter McDowell led off the frame with a walk, but was called out at second on a fielder’s choice to third base from Reid Russell. Russell took second base on a single to left center from Bryndan Arredondo and third when Robin Adames was hit by a pitch.
Pinch hitter Ryan Erickson rolled over into fielder’s choice that warranted a play at the plate, but the throw was wide and Russell scored to make it 2-2. Brendan Satran, who was pulled from the second game after he injured himself diving for a fly ball, send home the go-ahead run with a bunt single to third base. Adames made it 4-2 when he scored on a bases-loaded walk to Stijn van der Meer and Varela made it 5-2 when he scored on a sacrifice fly to left.
The final tally of the inning was on a single deep to the shortstop from Jacoby Middleton.
In the seventh, NDSU started the inning by reaching on an infield error, but the runner (Danny Palmiscno) was cut down at second on a fielder’s choice by Alec Abercrombie. Drew Fearing reached on an infield single, but he and Abercrombie were each able to advance a bag when the throw to get Fearing at first was wide. Two batters later, Brayden Resch’s single up the middle scored but to cut the LU lead to 6-4.
The final scores of the contest were in the NDSU side of the eighth, which started with a leadoff walk to pinch hitter Taylor Sanders. He took second when Jeron Terres singled to centerfield, and JD Larimer, Sanders’ pinch runner, scored when Matt Elsenpeter laid down a bunt that forced another wide throw at first base. Both Terres and Elsenpeter later scored on Fearings single through the left side.
The Cardinal offense went cold in the second game and could only muster five hits and no runs in the game. Both teams were held scoreless until the Bison broke through two runs in the sixth inning on back-to-back RBI base knocks from Danny Regan and Andy Wicklund. The final tally of the contest was scored on a single to center field from Mason Pierzchalski.
Fernando Martinez was pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed two runs on six hits and four walks. Matt White worked two frames with one run allowed on two hits. Joe Farley finished out the contest with 1 1/3 innings of work and only one hit allowed.
Jayson McKinley started the first game and pitched 5 2/3 innings with six hits and two runs allowed (1 earned run). His earned run was the only one LU allowed in the game. Kyle Leggett, Travis Moore and Enrique Oquendo all combined to finish out the game 3 1/3 innings of work and five hits and five runs.
Arredondo was 5 for 9 in both contests with a run scored and Middleton was 4 of 9 in and one RBI. Satran had two hits in three at-bats in the first game and didn’t get to bat in the second.
Lamar will continue its non-conference season with Prairie View A&M on Tuesday at 4 p.m. before a three-game set with Texas-Rio Grande Valley that opens Friday night at 6.