Lamar blows out Akron, 10-3

BEAUMONT, Texas — Scoring 10 runs on 11 hits, Lamar University baseball (5-5) repaid starter Zach Bravo for his pitching gem as the Cardinals took down the University of Akron (0-7) by a score of 10-3 on Saturday, securing the series win.

"I think Zach battled really hard," said head coach Will Davis. "That was the first time this year that we've had a mental lapse in the field and just handed the other team a couple of runs and unfortunately it only allowed him to go five. He probably could've last a few more innings if that wouldn't have happened, but he overcame it and held them right there and minimized. That's really all you can ask for."

Bravo went five innings, allowing just four hits and just one earned run while striking out seven, a new career high. He walked two, and Akron was able to score two unearned runs on an error in the third. The junior from Albuquerque, N.M., was relieved by Max Mize who went two innings with one hit, one walk, and one strikeout, and then Braydon Credeur and Mitchell Lee each went an inning with one strikeout apiece. The Cards held Akron to just one hit the final five innings.

Continuing the theme from Friday, Akron struck first before Lamar overwhelemed the Zips. In the top of the second a one-out single reached second on a wild pitch and scored on a single to right center. Bravo bracketed those hits with three strikeouts in the inning, and heading into the bottom half of the second Akron led 1-0.

Lamar answered quickly, scoring four in the bottom frame. Chase Kemp doubled with one out and reached third on a single by Anthony Quirion to right field, and a fielder's choice bunt from Kelby Weyler scored Kemp and didn't get any outs. Cole Coker singled to left centere to score Quirion and push Weyler to second, and a 6-3 grounder from George advanced Weyler and Coker. Avery George singled up the middle to keep his hit streak alive and score Coker and Weyler, and after two innings Lamar led 4-1.

A one-out error in the top of the third got something going for Akron as they then worked an 0-2 count into a seven-pitch walk to put two runners on with one out. A flyout to right put Zips on the corners, and back-to-back singles scored two unearned. A strikeout limited the damage, but Lamar was only able to strand Kemp on first after a two-out single in the bottom frame. Through three, Lamar held on with a 4-3 advantage.

Neither team scored again until the bottom of the sixth inning. A lead-off walk of Kemp reached second on a Quirion single, and Weyler wore one with no outs to load the bases. Logan LeJeune pinch-hit for Coker in the designated hitter slot, and he worked through four pitches before doubling down the left field line, scoring Kemp and Quirion. A 6-3 grounder and a strikeout stranded LeJeune on second and Weyler on third, but through six Lamar led 6-3.

Akron managed to get two runners into scoring position in the top of the seventh. A lead-off single was joined on base by a walk, and a sac bunt to the catcher put Zips on the corners again. Mize struck out one batter and got a 4-3 grounder to strand the run 90 feet from home. Lamar added one more in the bottom half thanks to walks of Reese Durand and JC Correa, a flyout from Kemp, and a sac fly from Quirion. Through seven innings Lamar led 7-3.

LeJeune went 2-for-2 on the day with a lead-off triple in the eighth inning. A sac fly from Rhett McCall scored LeJeune, and an error put George on first with one out. Cole Girouard joined George after he was hit by the first pitch he saw, and after a double steal, Durand brought both George and Girouard home on a single through the right side. A double by Correa put Durand on third, but a fielder's choice and a 5-3 grounder kept Lamar from scoring any more. Through eight Lamar led 10-3.

Lee relieved Credeur to start the ninth and mowed through the Zips, sitting them down in order with a 6-3 grounder, a liner to left, and a strikeout. Lamar won the game 10-3.