BEAUMONT – One of the first things people notice when they walk up the steps sit in the stands at Vincent-Beck Stadium is the wind blowing in, and usually blowing hard. That wasn't the case on Monday night when the outfield flags were oddly limp, and the Lamar University baseball took advantage.
 
The Cardinals, behind six runs batted in from Jacoby Middleton, hit two grand slams and added another couple of two-run home runs to down No. 23 Arizona, who entered with two wins over No. 24 Rice during opening weekend, 13-5 at The Beck.
 
"That was a big win. That club went in and took two out of three at Rice, and that doesn't happen. Look at Rice's record books, it doesn't happen," said head coach Jim Gilligan. "Our guys always play with the wind blowing in, and with it not really blowing at all tonight it turned into a legitimate ball park. Our hitters must feel really good to see that every now and then. That was fun."
 
"That was just a great game," he said.
 
Both slams were at crucial times in the game, and both were with two outs. The first came in the second inning just after the Wildcats (2-2) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. Reid Russell started the rally with a one-out single to left field followed by a two-out single to left by Bryndan Arredondo. Gavin Tristan loaded the bases with a sharp hit to right field that was just shy of being deep enough to score Russell.
 
Enter Brendan Satran, the same guy who hit a double to walk off against Southeast Missouri in game two of the season and Arizona native. Satran torched a full-count pitch over the right field wall to give the Cardinals (4-0) a 4-2 lead. In the next half inning, UA rallied to tie it at 4-4 with four-straight hits (three singles, one double), with both Sawyer Gieseke and Zach Gibbons breaking through for RBI.
 
The score sat knotted up all the way to the bottom of the fourth when Trey Silvers was plunked by a pitch. Bryndan Arredondo followed him with a base on balls before both advanced a bag on a passed ball. Gavin Tristan rolled over into a fielder's choice that had Silvers cut down at home, and after a pop out for the second out, shortstop Stijn van der Meer drew four balls for a walk to load the bases.

Enter Jacoby Middleton, who is back from an injury that claimed his 2015 season. He took a 1-1 count pitch and hit it off the centerfield batter's eye just above the yellow line. It was his first four RBI of the game and gave the Cardinals an 8-4 lead, an advantage it would not surrender again.
 
"That was the difference. We don't get those, it would be a much different game. We did and that is what it is about," said Gilligan. "The guys came through with timely hitting. Everyone talks about it in baseball. 'Get em when you need em.' We certainly got those tonight."
 
The lone run that wasn't scored on a home run was Silvers in the fifth. He recorded a two-out single to left field and took second on a wild pitch. Arredondo rolled over a ball to Wildcat shortstop Cody Ramer who rushed the throw and put it in the stands behind first base.  It was the ninth run of the contest for Lamar, and ninth run on two outs.
 
Arizona cut it to 9-5 top of the sixth when Jared Oliva scored after he tripled to right center field followed by a groundout to short, but Big Red was quick to push it to the final score in the bottom of the frame. Satran led off the inning with a single up the middle and took second on a wild pitch. Middleton at the plate again hit his second homer of the game to opposite field (right), the only two runs in the tilt that were not scored with two outs.
 
"Jacoby had a night. He looked really, really good. He need that to get going," said Gilligan.
 
Cutter McDowell, the hero in Sunday's win, reached later in the frame on a two-out walk and was sent home almost immediately when Russell hit his second home run in as many games in left center.
 
From there, Travis Moore was given the ball on the mound and mowed through Wildcats capturing five strikeouts in three innings of work and only one hit allowed. He earned his third career save, first of the year.
 
"Travis Moore really became one of the guys tonight.  He just mowed through them and looked good doing it," said Gilligan. "He looked like he was supposed to be out there. That was great to see to."
 
Middleton finished the game 3-of-5 with six RBI, a career-high, and doubled his career home run total. Van der Meer (2-of-4), Russell (2-of-5) and Satran (2-of-4) all joined him with multiple hits in the game. Arredondo scored two runs along with Tristan, Satran, Russell and Middleton.
 
LU threw four pitchers in the contest, starting with Joe Farley. He worked 1.2 innings and gave up two runs on two hits and three walks. Kyle Leggett relieved him and allowed two runs on four hits and no walks. Galen Andrews (1-0) worked the middle innings and surrendered only one run on two hits and four walks.
 
Arizona ran through six pitchers on the night, the longest outing belonged to Robby Medal (0-1), who lasted 2.0 innings and gave up the go-ahead runs on one hit and one walk. It started Michael Flynn and he went 1.2 innings with five hits allowed, four runs and one strikeout.
 
Ramer led the Wildcats offensively with two hits in five trips and two RBI. Oliva and JJ Matijevic also had two base knocks in the contest.
 
It was the first time since 2013 that LU had won its first four games of the season, and first time to beat a ranked opponent since it downed No. 16 Rice in 2014.
 
Next up for the Cardinals is the highly-anticipated matchup with No. 7-ranked LSU at The Beck. Tickets for that contest are already sold out.  After that game, Big Red will play host to North Dakota State in four-game series starting Monday.