HAMMOND, La. – No. 5 Lamar sprung the upset of the postseason thus far after taking out No. 1 Southeastern, but the Lions responded with their backs against the wall after the third day of play at the Hammond Bracket. The Cardinals and Lions will meet again Sunday with Lamar needing to win only one of a possible two games to advance to the championship series next week. 

Game 4 — (5) Lamar 2, (1) Southeastern 1

The Cardinals and Lions went back and forth in a defensive struggle though it was Big Red ultimately emerging with the upset victory. Watson helped the Lions through the first blow, inciting the home crowd with an inside-the-park home run in the 2nd inning. However, the Lions had a great deal of difficulty solving the Reagan Smith puzzle in the circle the remainder of the game. Smith gave the Cardinals 8.0 innings of work allowing one run on five hits. 

Looking for a break through the Cardinals finally found it when Riley Whitley stepped to the plate in the 5th. A single to left center scored the tying run and made the score 1-1. The game remained tied after seven innings until Sicily Windham delivered the go-ahead solo shot out to left, giving Lamar a 2-1 lead. The Cardinal defense were pressured with bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th, but stood their ground to hold on for the victory. 

Game 4 — (1) Southeastern 6, (4) UIW 4

Southeastern faced a quick turnaround right into an elimination environment against a rested No. 4 UIW squad, but the two-time defending Southland champions showed their championship mettle along with a heightened sense of urgency. The Lions plated four runs in the first inning, ending the spurt with a Colleen Kulivan RBI double that made the score 4-0. Hallie Burns turned in another strong outing for Southeastern, keeping the Cardinals at bay until the top of the 5th when Dominique Guerra broke through with an RBI single. 

However, the Lions' defense would navigate out of trouble and get some insurance in the bottom frame. Watson cracked a two-run home run over the center field wall, making the lead a 6-1 advantage. UIW would not go away quietly as Madison Dorrow sparked life into the Cardinals offense with a three-run shot in the 7th, but it would not be enough to overcome the deficit.