Feb. 4, 2006

Box Score

EDINBURG - Lamar lost its second straight game to start the 2006 season following Saturday's 11-7 loss to Northern Colorado at the Texas-Pan American Baseball Classic at Edinburg Stadium, despite the Cardinals out-hitting the Bears 17 to nine.

Lamar, who is 0-2 on the season, will try to salvage its final game at the UTPA Classic in today's 2 p.m. game against Oklahoma. Junior Steve Macfarland, who was 8-2 with a 4.16 earned run average and three saves last season, is expected to start on the mound for the Cardinals. P.J. Sandoval is the Sooners probable starter.

Northern Colorado (1-1) jumped on freshman starter Brian Needham (0-1) for five runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back. After retiring the first two hitters, Needham walked Devin Warner and John Ray and hit Zach Harris to load the bases. Kevin Sandberg walked to drive in the game's first run. Grady Gorman cleared the bases with a 3-run triple and Adam Symons followed with an RBI single.

Lamar struck for a run in the top of the second inning. C.J. Ebarb doubled and Ryan Baker followed with an RBI double. Seth Tartler and Zach Brockman both walked to lead off the bottom of the second, which ended the day for Needham as sophomore Tim Erickson was brought on in relief.

John Ray drove in Warner with a sacrifice fly to center field and Harris followed with a 2-run home run to put the Bears up 8-1.

UNC added another run in the third inning and two more in the fourth to take an 11-1 lead. Chad Clark started a two-out rally in the third with a single and advanced to third on a two-base throwing error by Baker at second base. Tartler drove in Clark with a single.

In the fourth, Warner walked, Ray singled and Harris drove in Warner with a single. After Sandberg drew a walk to load the bases, Erickson was lifted for freshman Justin Walker. Gorman drove in Ray with a sacrifice fly to right field.

Matt Vaglica, pinch-hitting for Andrew Gay, doubled to start the fifth inning for Lamar. Michael Ambort, who was in the lineup as the designated hitter, singled in Vaglica to make the score 11-2.

The Cardinals rallied for four runs in the top of the eighth inning. Will Henderson led off the inning with a double and took third on a single by Ebarb, who was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Baker followed with an RBI single to drive in Henderson.

Colt Crawford followed with a single to load the bases. Vaglica, who was 2-for-4, drove in an Ebarb on an RBI ground out to shortstop. Erik Kanaby drove in Baker with an RBI ground out to first base and Matt Lambeth drove in Crawford with a single to make the score 11-6.

The Cardinals closed out the scoring with a run in the top of the ninth on an RBI double by Baker to drive in Collin Delome, who led off the inning with a single.

Baker went 4-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI to pace the Cardinals at the plate. Lambeth, Ambort and DeLome each had a pair of hits.

Needham allowed six runs on two hits with five walks and one strikeout in one inning of work. Erickson allowed five runs, four earned, on six hits with two strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings pitched. Walker pitched 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, allowing one hit with four strikeouts. Cody Williams pitched an inning of scoreless relief.

Seth Gilleland (1-0) started and picked up the win for UNC, allowing two runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings pitched.