NEW ORLEANS — Bending but not breaking for the final three outs of the game, Lamar (15-29, 7-17 Southland) took down the University of New Orleans (21-13, 7-14 Southland) in the series finale. The Cardinals won 4-2 over the Privateers on Sunday.

“With Grason Wright being held out from today’s game due to an injury we had to have someone step up, and that’s what Josh [Hranicky] did today,” said head coach Will Davis. “Hranicky pitched deep into the game and gave us a solid chance to win the game, and Olivarez was unbelievable as well. Dylan came in with two outs to go and got the job done.”

Starter Hranicky was stellar through five innings, striking out three while walking three. He allowed three hits and just one earned run. The freshman from Port Neches showed a calm presence on the mound even in tricky situations, pitching his way out of a jam in the third that saw just one run score after Privateers reached second and third on a one-out error. He faced the minimum in the second with two of his three strikeouts.

Marcus Olivarez came in at the start of the sixth and dominated from the outset, allowing just two hits and one run in three and a third innings. He struck out one and walked none. Dylan Johnson earned the save with a one hit, one strikeout two-thirds of an inning.

The Cardinals got three hits through the first two innings but a double play in the first and two strikeouts in the second kept LU off the board. Luck finally broke LU’s way in the top of the third. A leadoff single from Avery George reached second on a single from Reese Durand. A one-out single from JC Correa should have loaded the bases but it was misplayed in the outfield, allowing George to come home safely. Another error allowed Robin Adames to reach and loaded the bases with one out, and a sac fly from Anthony Quirion brought Durand home. Big Red led 2-0 heading into the bottom of the third.

A leadoff bunt single from New Orleans reached second on a walk, and a liner to center should have put runners on the corners. Instead an error allowed the Privateer on first to advance to second, and a single in the next at-bat scored one and put runners on the corners with one out. Hranicky forced a popup to Correa and a liner to center field to strand both Privateers and keep Lamar out front 2-1 through three.

New Orleans threatened again in the bottom of the fourth when a hit-by-pitch and a walk put a runner in scoring position. On a 3-1 count Jorge Gutierrez picked off the Privateer at first to end the inning. Lamar threatened in the top of the fifth with a one-out single by Logan Berlof and a wild pitch strikeout of Adames that put runners on first and second, but a “Sports Center Top 10” play that should have been a hit for Quirion instead became a fielder’s choice and the third out. Hranicky stranded a two-out walk in the bottom of the inning with a liner to left and a grounder to second. Through five Lamar led 2-1.

A 1-2-3 inning by the Cards in the top of the sixth and a 1-2-3 inning by reliever Olivarez in the bottom frame kept the score at 2-1 LU heading into the final third of the game, and UNO errors allowed Big Red to strike again in the seventh.

A leadoff error put George on first and a wild pitch in Durand’s at-bat pushed George to second before Durand was walked on a 3-2 count. Correa reached on an error that loaded the bases with one out, and Adames earned two RBIs on a one-out single through the right side on the first pitch he saw. A flyer to left and a 6-3 grounder ended the frame but not before LU took a 4-1 lead. Olivarez stranded a two-out single on a looking strikeout.

The minimum came to the plate for LU and UNO in the eighth with a one-out walk of Logan LeJeune called out on a batter’s interference strikeout. Olivarez used 13 pitches in the bottom of the eighth to sit’em down in order.

Correa got a two-out single in the top of the ninth only to be cut down in a fielder’s choice, and UNO put on one final push in the final frame. A leadoff single advanced on a wild pitch and reached third on a 1-3 grounder, then a hit-by-pitch put runners on the corners with one out. Dylan Johnson came in and struck out the next batter before a two-out double on a 2-2 count scored a Privateer and put runners on second and third. Johnson dug deep and forced a liner to Correa to end the game. Lamar won 4-2.

“It’s huge to have received these contributions from freshmen and sophomore pitchers this weekend,” continued Davis. “We knew DJ was talented coming into this season, but I think the jitters are completely gone now. When you come into a situation like the one he faced in the ninth you better not have any jitters, and he pounded the strike zone with his fastball. Hranicky has been lights-out the last two times we’ve started him and we’re starting to figure things out with Olivarez. We knew he had a really good arm, hitting 95 mph at some points, and nobody works harder than Marcus. As he continues to improve he’ll be a big-time guy for us in the years to come.”

George, Durand, Berlof (twice), Correa (twice), Adames (twice), and Quirion had LU’s nine hits. Adames’ two RBI single in the seventh moved him into second all-time in career hits, passing Jerald Clark. The senior from The Bronx, New York, has 243 hits now, needing just 14 hits to capture the LU career hits record.

“Passing a long-time big leaguer like Clark is a pretty impressive feat, and it’s a great accomplishment for Robin,” said Davis. “I consider myself fortunate to have seen every one.”

The Cardinals conclude their 2,000-plus mile, nine-game road trip on Tuesday with a non-conference bout at Baylor, then open the final month of the regular season with a three-game Southland home stand against Southeastern Louisiana on May 3-5.