Ruckdad Posted May 23, 2007 Report Posted May 23, 2007 This is the hidden content, please Sign In or Sign Up The second-seeded Cardinals play No. 5-seed McNeese State Wednesday at 3 p.m. May 22, 2007NATCHITOCHES, La. - After wrapping up the regular season by taking two of three from McNeese State, No. 2-seed Lamar University will face the fifth-seeded Cowboys Wednesday at 3 p.m. on the first day of the double-elimination 2007 Southland Conference Tournament at Brown-Stroud Field. The rest of the first day matchups have No. 1-seed Texas-San Antonio playing No. 6-seed Stephen F. Austin at 11 a.m. and No. 3-seed Texas State playing No. 4-seed Sam Houston State at 7 p.m. The tournament winner receives the league's automatic bid to an NCAA Regional. The Cardinals posted a 2-2 record at last year's SLC Tournament in Beaumont. At the 2005 SLC Tournament, which was also played in Natchitoches, Lamar advanced to championship game before falling to UTSA. The Roadrunners have won two SLC Tournament titles (1994 and 2005) and both years the tournament was played in Natchitoches. Lamar enters postseason play with a 33-23 overall record and posted a 20-10 mark in winning the SLC East Division title. McNeese State is 21-33 overall and went 17-12 in SLC play. The Cardinals and Cowboys have met twice in SLC Tournament play with Lamar winning 4-3 in 2002 (Beaumont) and McNeese posting a 6-4 win in 2003 (Monroe, La.). The Cardinals posted a 4-2 win over the Cowboys in Beaumont last Thursday that clinched the East Division title and won 9-2 Friday in Lake Charles. McNeese won the regular season finale for both schools, 7-4, Saturday in Lake Charles. Lamar is 99-60-1 all-time against McNeese. The pitching matchup is likely to be a rematch from Thursday's 4-2 win by the Cardinals. Junior Allen Harrington, who was a second-team All-SLC selection, will be making his 16th start of the season for Lamar. He is 8-4 with a 3.97 earned run average with 98 strikeouts and 26 walks in 102.0 innings pitched. He tossed his fifth complete-game of the season in Thursday's win over the Cowboys, allowing two runs on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Derek Blacksher, an honorable mention All-SLC selection, is expected to start for McNeese. He is 4-5 with a 4.96 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 101.2 innings pitched. He pitched seven innings, allowing four runs on nine hits with two walks and six strikeouts in Thursday's loss to the Cardinals. Senior Erik Kanaby, who was named first-team All-SLC in the outfield, leads the team and ranks second in the SLC with a .397 batting average with 54 runs scored, 16 doubles and 20 runs batted in. He has walked 41 times and leads the SLC with a .496 on-base percentage. Junior Michael Ambort, who was a first-team All-SLC selection at catcher, is hitting .380 with 44 runs scored, 21 doubles, 11 home runs and a team-leading 61 RBI. Junior Collin DeLome, who earned second-team All-SLC honors, is hitting .329 with 57 runs scored, 15 doubles, seven triples, nine home runs and 52 RBI. Lamar is hitting .304 as a team, which ranks fifth in the SLC, with 355 runs scored (6.34 per game), 585 hits (10.45), 120 doubles (2.14), 15 triples and 47 home runs (0.84). The Cardinals have walked 202 times and struck out 316 times. The pitching staff has a 4.79 team ERA, which ranks fifth in the SLC, with 387 strikeouts (7.21 per 9 IP) and 202 walks in 483.1 IP. Bryan Cartie, who was a first-team All-SLC selection at third base, leads McNeese in hitting with a .353 average with 36 runs scored, 20 doubles, three home runs and 41 RBI. Joe Hulett is hitting .323 with 34 runs scored, 17 doubles, two home runs and 32 RBI. McNeese is hitting .278 as a team, which ranks ninth in the SLC, with 287 run scored (5.31), 504 hits (9.33), 103 doubles (1.91), six triples and 31 home runs. The pitching staff has a 5.68 team ERA, which ranks eighth in the SLC, with 311 strikeouts and 206 walks in 468.2 IP.
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