Box Score Box Score
BEAUMONT, Texas – Aaron Buchanan and Andy Mena each went 3-for-4 to pace a 14-hit attack and Lamar University broke open a close game with a three-run sixth inning to defeat No. 21-ranked Southeastern Louisiana, 8-1, in a Southland Conference game Friday at Vincent-Beck Stadium.
Southeastern (23-5, 7-4 SLC) dropped its first series of the season and will look to avoid a three-game sweep when it concludes its series with Lamar (17-10, 4-7 SLC) at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The game can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the internet at www.LionSports.net.
Cody Gougler went 3-for-4 with two doubles to lead Southeastern, but the Lions were held to six hits by Lamar starter Eric Harrington (4-1) in 7.2 innings. Brandon Chambers pitched the final 1.1 innings allowing no hits and fanning three as the Cardinals claimed its first Southland series of the season.
Southeastern recorded a pair of hits in the first inning off Harrington and took a 1-0 lead when Gougler drove in
Justin Boudreaux with a double to right-center. Boudreaux hit a one-out single, stole second and scored on Gougler's two-out hit.
Harrington, who struck out five batters, held the Lions in check the rest of the way as Lamar tied the game in the third inning on Quentin Luquette's RBI single before taking a 2-1 lead on Ted Zentek's RBI single that scored Buchanan.
The Cardinals broke the game open in the sixth inning off Southeastern starter
Brandon Efferson (5-1) as Mena hit an RBI single and Clayton Farhat laced a two-run double. Lamar added two runs in the seventh as Ryan Meade hit an RBI single and later scored on a single by Mena.
Efferson allowed two earned runs and scattered nine hits in 5.2 innings in suffering his first loss of the season.
Chris Ernest and
Brock Hebert added singles for the Lions.
Southeastern La..... 100 000 000 - 1 6 2 (23-5, 7-4 SLC)
Lamar............... 001 013 21x - 8 14 1 (17-10, 4-7 SLC)
Efferson, Janway (6), Lopez (7), Wax (7) and Gough-Fortenberry, Cryer (6) and Lucas (8). Harrington, Chambers (8) and Latulippe. W – Harrington (4-1). L - Efferson (5-1). E – J. Boudreaux (6), Ernest (1), Meade (5). LOB - SLU 9; Lamar 11. 2B – Gougler 2 (8), Farhat (3), Salinas (6). HBP - Sparacino. SH - Farhat (3), Salinas (4). SB – J. Boudreaux (11). T - 2:43. A – 308.
