Lamar sports information

SAN ANTONIO — Racking up a season-best nine runs while allowing just one earned run, Lamar (5-17, 1-6 Southland Conference) won 9-3 at the University of the Incarnate Word (13-11, 3-4 SLC) on Friday.

Lamar got the scoring started early, jumping on UIW for two runs in the top of the first. Big Red led off with a walk to Philip Ingram, and a one-out single from Cole Coker up the middle placed Ingram on second. Robin Adames slashed a single deep into right center field, scoring Ingram and pushing Coker to third. Chase Kemp hit into a fielder’s choice that struck down Adames, but Coker scored easily from third, giving the Lamar Cardinals a 2-0 lead. Driskill used just nine pitches in the bottom of the first to keep Incarnate Word scoreless.

Lamar’s Cardinals refused to go down without a fight after giving up two runs. Kemp doubled to right center with one out, and with two outs Cole Secrest singled him home, tying the game at 3-3. Driskill used just nine pitches in the fourth to keep the game tied 3-3 through four innings.

As LU’s pitching staff continued to hold off UIW, throwing scoreless innings from the fourth through the ninth, Lamar’s bats began to heat up. Adames got things started with one out in the sixth, singling through the left side. Kemp advanced Adames to second on a groundout to first, and Adames stole third as Chad Fleischman worked a nine pitch at-bat into a walk. Secrest swung on the first pitch he saw, shooting a line drive just past the outstretched glove of the first basemen. His single scored Adames, giving Lamar a 4-3 lead. Driskill finished off his evening in the bottom of the sixth by collecting his fourth strikeout of the day.

Neither team scored in the seventh, and Big Red struck again in the eighth. Adames led off with a single to left, and reached second when Fleischman again worked a long at-bat into a walk. Secrest fouled off one pitch and hammered the next one to the Moon, scoring three runs. Lamar led 7-3.

Two errors and a balk charged to Incarnate Word in the top of the ninth allowed two more LU Cardinal runs to score, giving Lamar its 9-3 margin of victory.