HOUSTON (Interstat) — The Incarnate Word Cardinals capitalized on a chaotic first inning and weathered a late rally to defeat the Houston Christian Huskies 8-6 in a Southland Conference baseball opener Friday night at M.O. Campbell Center.

The Cardinals (6-3, 1-0 Southland) sent 10 men to the plate in the top of the first, scoring six runs—only two of which were earned—off Huskies starter Caravalho to seize immediate control. The inning was fueled by a critical throwing error on a pickoff attempt and timely hitting. Tony DeJesus sparked the outburst with a two-run single up the middle, and Drake Anderson followed with another two-run single to cap the scoring.

Houston Christian (4-6, 0-1) chipped away, scoring three times in the second inning. Levi Castilleja doubled and scored on Brandon Defazio’s two-run single. The Huskies threatened for more in the third, loading the bases with no outs, but Incarnate Word reliever Alejandro Vanegas entered and induced a home-to-pitcher-to-first double play to escape the jam unscathed.

Vanegas was pivotal, throwing three hitless innings of relief to stabilize the game for the Cardinals after the early offensive explosion.

Incarnate Word extended its lead in the fourth. Ramos led off the inning with a solo home run to right field. Later, with Anderson on base after being hit by a pitch, Trent Rucker launched a two-run homer to left-center, pushing the Cardinals’ advantage to 8-3.

Houston Christian reliever Louis Castano provided a standout performance in defeat, entering in the fourth inning and stifling the Cardinals’ offense. Over 4.2 innings, he allowed just one run on five hits while striking out eight, giving his team a chance to rally.

The Huskies’ comeback effort was consistently hampered by double plays, grounding into three over the course of the game. They added a run in the sixth on an RBI single from Castilleja, who finished 3 for 4, and another in the seventh on an RBI double by Halligan.

In the ninth, facing Incarnate Word reliever Fawster Voytko, Houston Christian mounted a final threat. Consecutive singles put runners at the corners with no outs. A sacrifice fly from Avalos made it 8-6, and a walk put the potential tying run on base. But Voytko retired the next two batters, ending the game with a lineout to center field.

Cardinals pitchers Chase Blease and Ashton Perkins combined for three scoreless innings of middle relief behind Vanegas. Anderson led Incarnate Word’s 11-hit attack with two hits and three RBIs.

The victory defied pregame projections from Interstat, which gave Houston Christian a 54.7 percent probability to win and simulated a 6-4 Cardinals victory.

The two teams continue the three-game series Saturday in Houston.