Lamar sports information

ABILENE — The Lamar Cardinals used crooked-number innings to outscore Abilene Christian 24-10 in a doubleheader sweep to claim their third-straight weekend series Saturday at Crutcher Scott Field in nonconference action.

The Cardinals (19-7) notched their eighth- and ninth-straight wins with the 8-5 and 16-6 victories over the Wildcats (10-16). The win streak is the longest LU has had since it won 12-straight early in the 2013 season.

Lamar used a 10-run fourth inning, the highest one-inning output all season, and turned a 3-0 deficit to a large lead. ACU cut the advantage to six with a run in the bottom of the fourth, but the Cardinals didn’t let the get any closer.

The first 10 batters that stepped into the box in the fourth reached base, all starting with a first-pitch double to right center from Jake Nash. Reid Russell wore a pitch that put men on first and second for Cutter McDowell’s single that loaded the bases.

Robin Adames took a hit-by-pitch that put LU on the board and Jacoby Middleton doubled to right center to tie the ball game at 3-3 and kept two men in scoring position. Trey Silvers dropped a three-run shot, his first career homer at Lamar, which put Big Red up 5-3.

After a pitching change, Gavin Tristan doubled to left field and advanced to third base before Brendan Satran scored him on a double to left field. Back to the top of the order, van der Meer singled to put Cards on the corners and Nash punched his second double of the inning through for two more runs that made it 9-3. He notched the final run of the inning when he scored on a single to center field by Robin Adames.

Silver scorched another pitch over the left field wall when LU poured it on with a three-run seventh. His homer was one batter after Middleton’s homer to left that scored Robin Adames, who reached on a leadoff double to left field, to make it 13-4.

After the Wildcats scored two in the bottom of the seventh, Lamar answered with another in the eighth on Russell’s ninth dinger of the season. LU added two more in the ninth inning on RBI singles to left from Satran and Ryan Erickson. Satran scored Silvers, who led off the inning with a double to central and Erickson scored Satran.

Lamar only ran through two pitchers in the game, which was started by Billy Love (2-1). The senior righty pitched five innings and allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks. He punched out eight. Brett Brown relieved him on three frames of work with two runs allowed on five hits.

The first game had an action-packed fifth inning that saw eight of the game’s 13 runs, five for the Cardinals and three for the Wildcats. Its three runs opened ACU’s attempt at a rally that fell short.

Nash kicked off the inning with a two-run home run, his third of the year, to center field that scored van der Meer from first base. Van der Meer took first on a one-out walk. Two batters later, Reid Russell was hit by a pitch, followed by a single to left from Cutter McDowell and another HBP that sent Adames to first.

Middleton cleared the bags with a triple, first of the season and second of his career, to right center that pushed it to 8-1.

ACU answered the Cards in the bottom half of the frame with three of its own. Alex Copeland led off with a double to left, and took third base on Mark Pearson’s single deep into the shortstop hole. Starter Will Hibbs loaded the bases on a walk to Hunter Markwardt and then allowed a run on another walk to Braxton Wilkins. Hibbs buried a pitch to strike out Aaron Draper to strike him out swinging, but it turned out to be a wild pitch that scored two.

For the seventh time this season, LU jumped on the board in the first inning on Russell’s double to left that scored van der Meer from third base. Both he and van der Meer, who reached on a leadoff single, extended their team-leading hitting streaks with hits in each inning. Russell’s moved to 18-straight while van der Meer improved to 16-straight.

Satran jacked his second home run of the year on the first pitch he saw that was sent to left center. Freshman Adames made it 3-0 on a first-pitch swing that he crushed over the left field wall, the second of his season.

Russell Crippen notched only the fourth homer on Cardinal pitching in the bottom fourth frame to left field center, only a solo job.  Austin Call singled home Copeland, who reached on a hit-by-pitch, from second base.

Hibbs worked six innings and allowed the most earned runs he has all season in four, all on five hits and two walks. The senior improved to 5-1 on the season tied the team’s highest individual strikeout count of year at 10 (Jayson McKinley vs. Central Arkansas).

Joe Farley pitched 2 1/3 innings and gave up ACU’s other run on 2 1/3 frames with two hits and one walk. Jimmy Johnson relieved him and earned his team-leading fourth save of the year on two-thirds scoreless innings.

Grant deMeyere (2-4) suffered the loss on five innings of work with eight runs on seven hits and two walks. ACU’s bullpen really held down the Big Red lineup for four innings, each frame worked by a different pitcher.

Lamar pushed its team home run count to 29 with the seven combined hit today’s games, which is the most since it had 43 long balls

The Cardinals go for the third-straight weekend sweep on Sunday at 1 p.m. behind LU starter McKinley (1-0, 2.80 earned run average). He will face ACU starter Aaron Mason (3-2, 3.82).