BEAUMONT, Texas – Senior righthander
Addison Russ and senior lefthander
Christian Thames held the potent Lamar offense in check as the Huskies swept a Southland Conference baseball doubleheader, 7-2 and 2-1, Friday at Vincent-Beck Stadium.
In the first game, junior shortstop
Tyler Depreta-Johnson went 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs and two runs for the Huskies (13-11, 5-3 SLC). Junior first baseman
Carey Jones also went 2-for-4 and scored twice, while senior third baseman
Austin Zillweger went 2-for-5 with a run.
Russ (1-2) earned his first win of the season, allowing two runs on 11 hits with seven strikeouts and a walk in 8.0 innings. Sophomore righty
Daniel Endsley nailed down the win for HBU with a perfect ninth.
Robin Adames went 3-for-4 and Chad Fleischman went 2-for-4 with a home run and drove in both runs for Lamar (15-13, 4-7). Reid Russell also went 2-for-4 and scored a run.
Carson Lance (4-3) took the loss, giving up three runs, two earned, on one hit with five strikeouts and four walks in 4.0 innings. Ryan Cawthon threw 3.0 innings of relief, giving up three runs on three hits with three strikeouts.
The Huskies got on the board first as Jones led off the second with a walk, then junior second baseman
Jack Fitzgerald also drew a walk. Depreta-Johnson ripped an RBI single to rightcenter and took second on the throw. Senior centerfielder
Zane Otten drove in a run when he reached on an error. Junior leftfielder
Spencer Halloran popped up to second, which should have ended the inning, but the ball was dropped as Depreta-Johnson came home to stake HBU to a 3-0 lead.
Lamar loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the second, but Russ struck out Fleischman, then got Phillip Ingram to ground into an inning-ending double play.
HBU added three more in the sixth when Jones and junior designated hitter
Matt Heck singled, then Depreta-Johnson blasted a home run down the leftfield line, the first of his Huskies career, for a 6-0 advantage.
Lamar put its first run up in the seventh on a solo homer to left by Fleischman, but HBU got it back in the eighth when Zillweger and Jones led off with back-to-back singles and Fitzgerald delivered an RBI single to left.
The Cardinals loaded the bases with one out in the eighth and Fleischman drove in a run with a single to left to make the score 7-2, but Adames was thrown out at the plate as Halloran delivered a strike to junior catcher
Jake Pulcheon to end the inning.
Endsley retired Lamar 1-2-3 in the ninth, capped by a strikeout of Cutter McDowell.
In the nightcap, Thames (4-1) allowed one run on six hits, struck out two and walked two in 6.2 innings. Sophomore righthander
JT Newton was spectacular in notching his third save of the year, giving up one hit and striking out five over the final 2.1 innings.
Pulcheon went 2-for-4 and drove in a run, while senior rightfielder
Brandon Brintz went 2-for-4 and scored a run. Depreta-Johnson went 2-for-4 with a double and senior designated hitter
Joe Van Marter had a single and an RBI.
Grant DeVore went 2-for-2 and drew a walk for Lamar, while McDowell went 2-for-4. Adames hit a solo home run.
Jimmy Johnson (2-3) took the loss for the Cardinals, allowing two runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and two walks in 6.2 innings.
The game was scoreless until the sixth, when Brintz led off with a bunt single and Halloran followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Pulcheon came through with an RBI single up the middle and Van Marter later added an RBI single to center to give HBU a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the inning, Adames homered to left, his fourth of the season, but that was all the offense the Cardinals could muster.
The series concludes Saturday with a 2 p.m. first pitch. The Legacy Sports Network audio broadcast with Lonnie King begins at 1:45 with the pregame show on HBUHuskies.com.
