HAMMOND — A 6-3 loss on its first day at the Southland Baseball Championship seemingly rejuvenated the 2024 regular season champions. No. 1 Lamar has scored 30 runs in its last two games and cruised to a 18-6 win over No. 8 UIW Friday, avenging their lone defeat in the tournament and moving to the semifinal round.

The Cardinals fiished the game with 18 hits, 12 of which claimed extra bases and five that landed over the wall. 

Hunter Hesseltine pitched seven innings with five earned runs on eight hits with four strikeouts, claiming his seventh win of the season. 

River Orsak turned in a lethal line of three-of-four with two home runs, a double and five RBI. Jack Schell and Brayden Evans both went three-of-four at the plate while Zak Skinner, Austin Roccaforte and Kanin Dodge all accounted for hits. 

Sam Tormos and Matt Marlow both hit home runs for UIW. 

Orsak opened his impressive performance with an RBI double in the top of the first, scoring the first run of the game and starting an avalanche of offense. Schell and Roccaforte lined up RBI doubles that brought in two more runs after Lamar had taken a 2-0 lead, moving the score to 4-0.

Ethan Ruiz entered the batter's box with Roccaforte on base and sent a two-run blast over the wall and Lamar rapidly secured a firm handle on the contest. 

Orsak returned to the dish in the second and his second hit of the day left the ballpark, scoring two and extending the lead. He replicated that same feat in his next at bat and Lamar led 10-0 in the fourth. 

The Cardinals' bats would not cool off and the outpour of offensive continued in that frame. Skinner homered to center and Drake Varnado fired away on a three-run home run, making the lead 14-0. 

Marlow put UIW on the board in the bottom fourth, driving a two-run shot out in a pinch hitting appearance. 

Lamar would extend its lead to 18-2 before UIW made its final stand in the bottom of the seventh. The Cardinals had one final flurry left in the tank including a two-run home run off Tormos' bat, but those efforts were not enough to extend the length of the contest. 

Lamar will look to avoid elimination for the third straight game in its semifinal matchup with No. 5 McNeese Friday evening.