BEAUMONT, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word softball team suffered a pair of one-run losses at the hands of Southland Conference foe Lamar University on Friday afternoon. The Cardinals lost game one 3-2 before falling 4-3 in the nightcap at the LU Softball Complex.

Incarnate Word moves its overall record to 30-17 with a 15-8 record in Southland play, while Lamar is now 28-20 on the year with a 14-9 league mark.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME ONE)

• Lamar jumped on the scoreboard early in game one, plating two runs in the home half of the first inning for a 2-0 lead.
• Senior Madison Dorrow homered in the top of the second to cut the deficit in half before the two sides went scoreless in innings three and four.
• Lamar added its third run in the fifth on a sac fly before junior Bryanna Fuentes used a sac fly of her own in the sixth to once again cut the Lamar lead to one run.
• In the seventh, Incarnate Word put runners on the corners with two out, but a groundout ended the game and squashed a late-inning rally.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME TWO)

• Game two started in the same way as game one, with Lamar going ahead 1-0 with a run in the first inning of play.
• Senior Victoria Altamirano cleared the bases in the second inning, belting a three-run home run over the wall for her 20th long ball of the season to give UIW a 3-1 lead.
• Lamar battled back with a run in the third to get within a run of the Incarnate Word lead before tying the game at 3-all with a solo home run in the fourth.
• The home team rallied in the sixth, scoring the go-ahead run on an Incarnate Word fielding error with one out to take a 4-3 lead.
• Incarnate Word once again looked to rally late, loading the bases with two out in the top of the seventh before a fly ball to the outfield ended the comeback effort.

NOTES

• Junior Ayla Gonzales was 3-for-4 in game one, while Dorrow was 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI in the opener.
• Senior Dominique Guerra had three hits across the two games, and Altamirano was just 1-for-1 on the day with a three-run home run as the captain drew seven walks in the doubleheader.
• Freshman Emma Follis was a star in the circle in game one, allowing just one run on one hit with a strikeout across four innings of relief, while sophomore Jenny Robledo struck out three batters in 1.2 innings out of the bullpen in the opener.
• Junior Ava Hernandez got the start in game two and went three innings in the circle, giving up two runs on four hits with two strikeouts, but did not factor in the decision.

UP NEXT
Incarnate Word and Lamar conclude the battle of the Cardinals tomorrow with a single game scheduled for a Noon start time.