BEAUMONT, Texas — Senior Jeremy Rivera gave Lamar University 4.0 innings allowing just one run and LU’s bullpen pitched 5.0 innings of shutout baseball to defeat Pennsylvania, 3-1, to take the final game of the series Sunday at Vincent-Beck Stadium.
The Quakers’ collected two hits and scored their only run in the first. After that, the Cardinals’ staff kept them off the scoreboard scattering just four hits and two walks over the remaining eight innings.
Junior Kole Tauzin came on in the fifth and pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless, one-hit ball with a walk and strikeout to record the victory. Tauzin (2-0)n was replaced by senior Daniel Cole in the sixth. The Harker Heights native went 2.1 allowing just one hit while striking out two. Jackson Cleveland – who started the game as the designated hitter – came on to close things out in the ninth for his third save of the season.
Penn started Ryan Dombroski who went 4.2 before being lifted in the fifth after surrendering two unearned runs on five hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. Dombroski took the loss to fall to 0-1 on the season.
The Cardinals collected six hits from four different players, including multi-hit games from Kanin Dodge and Ethan Ruiz. Both players went 2-for-3 at the plate with a run scored.
After trailing for the first five innings, the Cardinals mounted a two-out rally in the home half of the fifth. The Cardinals loaded the bases with two singles and a walk to bring Kevin Bermudez to the plate. Bermudez hit a chopper to short forcing Penn’s Baker Davis to make a rushed throw which got back the second baseman allowing two runners to score.
The Cardinals tacked on a third run in the next inning after Kirkland Banks led off the inning with a walk. Banks advanced to second off the bat of Cleveland. After a wild pitch moved Banks to third, Luke Bumpus drove him home with a sacrifice fly to center.
After LU took its two-run lead, the Quakers could manage just two hits over their remaining nine outs.
The Cardinals will now hit the road for a midweek game at No. 1 LSU before returning home next week to host UC Riverside. The game against the Tigers is slated for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch from Baton Rouge.