Stephen F. Austin
Lamar
Cardinals Salvage Finale
5/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 22, 2010
BEAUMONT, Texas - The Lumberjacks got a three-run homer from Jarid Scarafiotti in the top of the first, but Lamar starter Eric Harrington allowed just four hits the remainder of the day in tossing his third complete game of the year for a 9-4 Cardinal win in the regular season finale for both teams on Saturday at Vincent-Beck Stadium.
It was the third complete game of the season for Harrington, who helped the Cardinals (31-24, 16-17 Southland) secure the No. 7 seed in the upcoming Southland Conference Tournament. The loss also locks the `Jacks (34-18, 20-12 Southland) into the No. 4 seed in next week's tournament, in the 7:00 p.m. game against No. 5 UT-Arlington.
Tanner Hines was the only Lumberjack with multiple hits on the day, going 2-for-4 against Harrington as the sophomore struck out six and walked just two in going the distance for Lamar. Justin Braddock saw his record drop to 5-4 on the year after his shortest outing of the season, lasting just 3.0 innings while allowing five runs and seven hits.
For Lamar, the 11-hit effort was fueled by Joey Latulippe's 4-for-4 afternoon that included his fourth homer of the year and a team-best four RBI.
Scarafiotti deposited the first pitch he saw from Harrington in the first inning over the left-field wall for a three-run homer after Garrett Smith and Bobby Loveless had reached, giving the `Jacks an early 3-0 lead. But that was as good as it would get all day for SFA, as the Cardinals got a two-run double from Pablo Salinas in the first and RBI from both Clayton Farhat and Aaron Buchanan in the second to take a 4-3 lead and never look back.
Andy Mena added a sacrifice fly in the fourth and Latulippe had a two-run double in the fifth to open up the game at 7-3 while Harrington had things on cruise control, allowing just one bunt single to the `Jacks from the second inning through the seventh.
Latulippe put two more on the board for LU in the seventh with a two-run homer and Darren Crabtree hit his 10th bomb of the year with a solo shot in the ninth, but it was of little consequence as Harrington sat down the next two hitters on ground balls.
SFA now heads to Corpus Christi for the Southland Conference Tournament, beginning Wednesday. The `Jacks went 2-1 against their first-round opponent, UTA, earlier this season in Arlington. It was the Mavs that eliminated SFA from the league tournament one year ago.
-SFA-
