BEAUMONT – A four-run first inning gave starting pitcher Will Hibbs all the support he needed in a spectacular performance on the hill when the No. 25 Lamar University baseball team downed McNeese State 5-1 Friday night, in a game that turned into a pitcher's duel, at Vincent-Beck Stadium in Southland Conference action.
 
Hibbs (7-1) was dominant for the second-straight week with eight innings of work with the lone McNeese (20-12, 10-6 Southland Conference) coming on a home run in the eighth inning- which he opened at a 115 pitches. He scattered five hits and walked one with a career-high 14 strikeouts. The senior has only allowed one run in his last 18 innings pitched.
 
"Will had a phenomenal ball game. He was in control the whole way. He pitched the eighth inning for me so we could take it easy on our bullpen," said head coach Jim Gilligan. "It was a great ball game."
 
"I feel like anyone can go out and pitch well when you have the offense production that we do," said Hibbs. "(Bryndan) Arredondo and I were really on the same page tonight. We had a good flow working, and that is what you have to against hitters like that."
 
Four-straight singles in the first inning started a big rally that proved to be the difference for the Cardinals (26-8, 11-2). Stijn van der Meer led off the frame with a single to the shortstop Will Fox, who was able to corral the ball but did not have enough time to get the runner. With the single, van der Meer pushed his hit streak to 24 and his reached base streak 31. The 24 game hit streak puts him in solo possession of third place on Lamar's all-time list.
 
Back-to-back singles to central from Jake Nash and Arredondo loaded the bases for Reid Russell's single to left center that pushed across van der Meer and Nash. With runners on first and second, Robin Adames rolled over an infield grounder to push both runners up, and Cutter McDowell took advantage of the situation with a single to left.
 
"We were very fortunate in the first inning. Reid Russell had a great at-bat after getting two curveballs. He hung in there and hit one," said Gilligan. "The kids did a great job swinging the bat. Nash had a great night.
 
"Getting through that inning and scoring was just major when Will is on the mound," he said.
 
Hibbs' counterpart Kaleb Fontenot settled in after the rough first inning and really turned the contest into a pitcher's duel.  Hibbs worked a perfect second, and Fontenot followed with one hit (Nash double) and stranded him at second. LU struck out the side in the third with a single on two outs, but Fontenot followed with a perfect third.
 
Hibbs ran into the only troublesome inning he had after he hit a batter and allowed single with two outs, but stuck out Todd Hinkley to end the frame, Fontenot followed with another perfect inning. Hibbs induced a double play to end the fifth, and Fontenot did the exact same thing.
 
The Cardinals right-hander struck out two and stranded a runner in the sixth, the Cowboy righty struck out three and stranded one as well.
 
Lamar was able to get to Fontenot again in the seventh when Brendan Satran laced a double down the left field line and scored two batters later when Nash roped one to right field for his RBI in the game.
 
Each team only used one reliever for one inning. Austin Briggs allowed one hit in four batters faced, and Fernando Martinez was perfect in his inning with a strikeout.
 
"Fernando was lights out against Corpus, and he threw even better today," said Gilligan. "That is huge for us."
 
Four Cardinals accounted for multiple hits in the 11-hit team effort, led by Nash's three. Van der Meer, Russell and McDowell were all 2-of-4 and Arredondo (1-of-4) and Satran (1-for-3) each added one.
 
The Cardinals will look to go for the series win Saturday at 2 o'clock when righty Bill Love (3-1, 2.70) faces McNeese's lefty Bryan King (3-1, 2.57).