No. 8 Stephen F. Austin Defeats No. 4 Lamar to Advance
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SUGAR LAND, Texas – No. 8 Stephen F. Austin defeated No. 4 Lamar 5-2 Thursday in the 2016 Southland Conference Tournament at Constellation Field.
SFA got on the board early with three runs off of four hits in the bottom of the fourth inning. Junior shortstop Tyler Kendrick scored on a sacrifice fly from senior first baseman Garrett McMullen. Junior left fielder Conner Fikes picked up and RBI single scoring junior second baseman Nick Ramos. Senior third baseman Kyle Thornell scored the final run of the inning to give the Lumberjacks a 3-0 lead.
Lamar scored one run in the top of the third inning when senior shortstop Stijn van der Meer tripled down the right field line to score junior catcher Brendan Satran for a 3-1 score.
The Cardinals made it a one-run ball game on a double from junior catcher Bryndan Arredondo to score junior left fielder Reid Russel.
The Lumberjacks extended their lead on a sacrifice fly ball to foul territory scoring junior outfielder Gavin Gregory to go up 4-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning. SFA continued its offensive momentum in the bottom of the fifth inning as Fikes scored on a single to right field from senior designated hitter Zach Valenzuela to make it a 5-2 ball game.
SFA advances to take on the loser of No. 1 Sam Houston State and No. 5 Central Arkansas Friday at noon while Lamar’s season ends at a 35-18 overall mark.