Lamar sports information

BEAUMONT – Thai Williams had a big day that broke a school record at the Bobcat Invitational at Texas State and led several good marks for Lamar track and field at three different meets Friday, that also included San Francisco Distance Carnival and the Texas Relays.

Williams – the indoor season’s Southland Female Athlete of the Year – shattered her previous personal best and topped a 36-year old school record held by Carolyn Ford with a huge 20-foot, 7¾-inch leap. Her jump is also the top time in the Southland Conference and would rank fourth in nation and first in the West Region.

Ford’s mark is 19 feet, 9¾ inches set in 1981.

“We’re talking about a record that has been held for long time and by Carolyn Ford, one of LU’s greatest female athletes. We’ve had a lot of good athletes come through that couldn’t do that,” said head coach Trey Clark. “Early in her career she shows that potential of where she could be, but that’s just the potential. She’s a sophomore, which is good for us because she can represent this program and institution for years to come.”

The closest mark to Williams’ was Jaden Mattox’s (Purdue) leap of 19 feet, 7½ inches. Williams jumped six times, and it was the sixth time that was the one that stuck.

“Thai is a great competitor. That was proven at the indoor meet and it was proven today,” said Clark. “Anytime she’s on the runway she’s going to compete at her best.”

Not far behind her in the standings was her teammate Deja Phillips in fourth place with a 19 feet, 6¼ inches jump. She set her outdoor personal best and narrowly missed her all-time top mark by only by a ½ inch.

HOUSTON BAPT. 7-2,

LAMAR BASEBALL 2-1

BEAUMONT – The Lamar baseball team dropped its first home game since February when the Cardinals fell to Houston Baptist twice, 7-2 and 2-1, Friday afternoon in a Southland Conference twinbill at Vincent-Beck Stadium.

The nightcap of the doubleheader turned into a pitcher’s duel that the Huskies (13-11, 5-3 Southland) were able to take with some manufactured runs in the sixth inning. Brandon Brintz led off the inning with a bunt single to the left side, and a well-executed hit-and-run was put on for a single in the second base hole from Spencer Halloran.

With two on and no outs, Jake Pulcheon singled up the middle and scored Brintz. Lamar (15-13, 4-6 Southland) starter Jimmy Johnson (2-3) struck out Carey Jones for the first out. HBU’s runners on first and second took off on the pitch stayed out of the double play on Austin Zillweger ground out to short. Joe Van Marter had a big two-out hit that scored the final run of the inning in Halloran.

Robin Adames pulled the Cardinals within one in the bottom of that sixth with his fourth home run of the season, this one to left field. He stepped into the box and turned on a 1-1 pitch with two outs.

SE LOUISIANA 2-6,

LAMAR SOFTBALL 1-3

HAMMOND, La. – The Lamar Cardinals squandered two strong pitching performances in dropping a doubleheader to host Southeastern Louisiana by scores of 2-1 and 6-3 in Southland Conference softball action on Friday.

Ciara Luna and Laura Napoli each threw four-hitters for LU, but the Cardinals (17-17 overall, 8-3 Southland) were done in by the long ball and costly errors.

“When you give up only four hits, you should win,” LU coach Holly Bruder said. “It seems that whenever we make an error it comes back to hurt us.”