Stephen F. Austin
Lamar
'Jacks Race Past Cardinals, 8-1
5/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Stephen F. Austin 8, Lamar 1
Vincent-Beck Stadium • Beaumont, Texas
Records: SFA (17-33, 11-17 SLC); LU (19-30, 8-18 SLC)
Up Next: at Lamar • Sunday, May 10 • 1 p.m.
BEAUMONT, Texas -- Saturday's game at Lamar began as another pitcher's duel, similar to Stephen F. Austin's 1-0 win Friday night. But the Lumberjack bats came alive late, scoring six runs over the final three innings to take down Lamar 8-1 and clinch SFA's fourth Southland Conference series win of the season.
The win improves the Lumberjacks to 17-33 on the year and 11-17 in SLC play, remaining ninth in the race for the SLC tournament. However, a pair of victories for A&M-Corpus Christi on the day secured the number eight spot for the Islanders, eliminating SFA from postseason contention.
Both the Lumberjacks and Cardinals struggled to bring runs across the plate early in this one as the game was tied 0-0 after four complete. SFA struck first in the top of the fifth, recording RBI from Nick Ramos and Kyle Thornell to give the Lumberjacks the 2-0 lead.
Lamar answered back in the bottom half of the inning, registering a triple and a ground out to push across the Cardinals' lone run of the series, cutting the Lumberjack lead to 2-1. Lamar threatened in the sixth, loading the bases with one out, but SFA registered a key double play to keep the lead intact.
The Lumberjack bats then sprang to life over the final three innings, beginning with a ground out RBI by Dan O'Neill to make it 3-1. SFA then broke the game open with its three-run eighth inning as a Matthew Dickey RBI single, followed by a two RBI single from Conner Fikes gave the `Jacks the 6-1 lead after the top of the eighth.
SFA then added two more in the ninth as Fikes struck again, ripping a two RBI single to center, bringing home the final two runs of the afternoon as the Lumberjacks closed out the Cardinals in the ninth to register the 8-1 victory.
Fikes paced the SFA offensive attack, going 4-for-6 with four RBI and a pair of runs scored, as the Lumberjacks knocked out 15 hits on the afternoon. Ramos added three more, going 3-for-4 on the night, as Dickey had a 2-for-5 performance with the RBI and a run scored.
Starter Dillon Mangham had another strong showing in his final start as a Lumberjack, allowing just one run on eight hits with a pair of strikeouts in six inning pitched, earning the victory in his final collegiate start. Travis Stone and Patrick Ledet came on to keep the Cardinals in check as the duo combined to allow no runs on three hits with a pair of strikeouts over the final three innings.
SFA now prepares for its final Southland Conference game of 2015, looking for the series sweep against Lamar Sunday afternoon at Vincent-Beck Stadium. Right hander Jarred Greene is slated to get the start for the `Jacks with the opening pitch scheduled to be thrown at 1 p.m.
-SFA-
