ABILENE – Lamar brought out its big bats Saturday afternoon, pounding out 20 extra-base hits, including seven home runs, to sweep a non-conference doubleheader from ACU at Crutcher Scott Field.
Lamar took the first game, 8-5, and then scored 10 runs in the fourth inning of the second game en route to a 16-6 win over the Wildcats. The three-game set between Southland Conference foes will wrap up Sunday with a 1 p.m. start.
The Cardinals have now won 12 straight to improve to 19-7 overall, while the Wildcats are 10-16 after having lost for the ninth time in their last 10 games.
Lamar had eight extra-base hits – three home runs, four doubles and one triple – in the opening-game victory, forcing ACU starting pitcher
Garrett deMeyere from the game after just five innings that saw him give up seven hits and eight runs (all earned). Lamar led 3-1 through four innings before scoring five runs in the top of the fifth inning to take control of the contest.
Jake Nash had a solo home run and Jacoby Middleton had a bases-clearing, three-run triple to make it an 8-1 contest. The Wildcats scored thee runs in the bottom of the fifth and one more in the bottom of the ninth before Jimmy Johnson got tying run
Braxton Wilks to fly out to deep left field to end the game.
In the second game, the Wildcats led 3-0 after three innings – thanks to an
Austin Call home run and freshman
Derek Scott's first career RBI – before the bottom fell out for starting pitcher
Aaron Mason.
In the top of the fourth, he allowed each of the first six hitters of the inning as he sent in a run with a hit by pitch, gave up a two-run double to Middleton and a three-run home to Trey Silvers to make it a 6-3 Lamar lead. That was all for Mason, who only lasted three-plus innings en route to taking the loss.
The Cardinals went on to score four more runs in the inning to take a 10-3 lead to the bottom half of the fourth. Lamar finished the second game with eight doubles and four home runs against six ACU pitchers.
Russell Cripen had four hits and three RBI in the doubleheader and hit a solo home run in the first game.
