BEAUMONT — In just one response, Lamar baseball coach Jim Gilligan talked at length about the job his relievers did … as well as the Cardinals’ inability to score.
Nine Cardinals were stranded on bases to Houston’s six, and the Cougars escaped Vincent-Beck Stadium on Tuesday night with a 4-3 win before 1,074 fans, the second-largest crowd at Lamar this season.
“We should have scored more, without a doubt,” Gilligan said. “We shouldn’t have given up any runs. That was the difference. Two balls hit to center field … we’ve got to change that.”
Lamar (10-7) has lost 7 of 11. Three times the team left two runners on base.
But the Cards also had a chance at their third walk-off win of the season. That was after Reid Russell came through with a two-run single with one out in the eighth.
Bryndan Arredondo threw out lead-off man Connor Wong to end the Houston half of the ninth, but Nick Hernandez mowed down the Cards in order for his fourth save of 2016.
The Cards refused to let previously ranked Houston (9-6) — which is 15th in the latest Ratings Power Index — just pull away, thanks in large part to their relievers. Joe Farley and Matt White combined to allow two hits in the fourth through seventh innings, but Enrique Oquendo and Josh Crain teamed up to retire eighth straight and give Lamar a chance.
Farley struck out three in three innings, but Houston had already done the damage.
Starter Brent Janak (0-1, 14.54 ERA) had another rough go of it in his third appearance of the season. He faced six batters in just one inning and allowed one run on two hits.
After Fernando Martinez came on to hold Houston to one hit in the second inning, he loaded up the bases to start the third. Corey Julks capitalized with a three-run triple with two outs to pad the Cougars’ lead to 4-0. Martinez did finish with three strikeouts.
“That at-bat was the game, right there,” Gilligan said.
Lamar had a chance to strike early with three first-inning singles, but Marshall Kasowski (2-1) struck out Jacoby Middleton to leave runners stranded at first and second. Houston turned a 5-4-3 double play earlier.
Russell smashed a leadoff home run in the fifth to put the Cards on the board, but Kasowski came up big again after fanning Cutter McDowell to leave Stijn van der Meer and Jake Nash on after they singled back-to-back. The home run was the only score Kasowski, who struck out seven, gave up and one of six hits he allowed.
Vidor graduate Bubba Maxwell, who played at Lamar in 2012, stranded two more and fanned three, all in the sixth for Houston. Tanner Lawson gave up another pair of singles by van der Meer and Nash in the seventh, but a 6-4-3 double play ended that threat.
Van der Meer batted 3 for 5, and Nash, Arredondo and Russell each lined two hits. Russell drove in three runs.
Michael Pyeatt and Joe Davis each had two hits for the Cougars.
Tuesday’s game started a seven-game home stand for Lamar. Central Arkansas visits for a three-game set beginning at 6 p.m. Friday.