Lamar sports information

HOUSTON – Laura Napoli and Taylor Gruell each pitched six solid innings in starting roles as the Lamar Cardinals swept a Southland Conference softball doubleheader from the Houston Baptist Huskies by scores of 7-3 and 7-1 on Friday.

Napoli (6-7) scattered six hits in the opener, allowing three runs, two earned. She walked four and struck out four. Gruell (4-2) gave up just three hits in the nightcap, as she walked one and struck out five.

The Cardinals (14-12 overall, 3-2 Southland) jumped out to early leads in both games. In the opener, LU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a Shelby Henderson RBI single before adding two more in the second on an RBI single by Paige Holmes and a sacrifice fly by Savana Guidry to make it 3-0.

The game was delayed by rain for 54 minutes in the second inning. That seemed to refresh the Huskies (3-14, 0-5), who scored twice in the bottom of the third to make it 3-2. LU broke it open in the top of the fifth with four runs without a hit, taking advantage four consecutive walks, a hit batter and a costly error by HBU.

The Huskies added a run in the fifth to close out the scoring. Amie Cisneros pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning for LU to close out the game.

HBU starter Jessica Patak (1-8) took the loss, allowing four hits and six runs, five earned in 4 1/3 innings. Patak walked five, hit one batter and fanned one.

In the nightcap, the Cardinals scored three in the first thanks to a Kelly Meeuwsen sacrifice fly and a two-run double by Taylor Davis, who stretched her string of reaching base safely to 15 straight games.

Heidi Jaquez homered in the bottom of the first for HBU’s only run. The Cardinals added two more in the third, highlighted by Taylor Davis’ steal of home on a double steal before closing out the scoring in the fourth on Henderson’s two-run double.

Erin Kyle pitched a perfect seventh inning for LU.

The Cardinals and Huskies complete their three-game series at noon today before LU returns home to host Dartmouth in a non-conference doubleheader at 4 p.m. Tuesday. LU remains home to take on Stephen F. Austin in a three-game SLC series next Friday and Saturday.