March 3, 2006

Box Score

BEAUMONT, Texas - The Lamar University baseball team won their opening game of the 2006 Lamar Classic, pounding the Iona Gales 23-0 at Vincent Beck Stadium Friday night in Beaumont.

The win improves the Cardinals record to 8-6 on the season, and is the third straight win for Lamar.

The Cards used two big innings to blow the game open, starting with a seven-run second inning. C.J. Ebarb led off the inning with a double to right center field and was knocked in by Will Henderson's two-run double to center field which scored Ebarb and Ryan Baker. Lamar finished the second inning with seven run on four hits, taking advantage of three errors by the Gales.

Holding an 18-0 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, the Cards pulled out the big sticks, as they knocked out two home runs. Collin Delome led off the inning with a solo shot over the right field fence, and Dan Hernandez blasted a three run shot over the left center field wall to cap off the Cardinals scoring in the game.

Seven Cardinal players collected multiple hits in the game, led by Ebarb's three-hit, five RBI performance in which the catcher roped three doubles. Hernandez also collected three hits in the game, while driving in four runs.

Iona was held to just two hits in the ballgame, picking up a single in the first inning and a single in the ninth inning.

Along with the offensive fire power, the Cardinals received dominant pitching from Steve Mcfarland and Tim Erickson. Mcfarland pitched seven innings of one-hit baseball, striking out 11 Gales and walking just one, to improve to 3-0 on the season. Erickson threw two innings for the Cardinals, striking out four and walking two.

The Cardinals will be in action again Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m. when they take on the Connecticut Huskies.