HOUSTON (Interstat) — Lamar used a five-run fifth inning to break open a close game and defeat Houston Christian 5-3 on Saturday afternoon at M.O. Campbell Center in a Southland Conference matchup.

The Cardinals, now 28-23, struck first in the second inning when catcher Theo Kummer hit a solo home run to deep left field, his third of the season, to give Lamar a 1-0 lead. The Huskies answered in the bottom of the second. After a walk and a stolen base, designated hitter Joshua Avalos singled to left field to drive in a run, tying the game at 1-1. The score remained deadlocked until the top of the fourth, when Lamar manufactured a run. With runners on first and second, third baseman Bryson Taylor hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring shortstop Jake Rodriguez and putting the Cardinals ahead 2-1.

The decisive inning came in the top of the fifth. Center fielder Kaden Wagoner led off with a single, stole second, then stole third and scored on a throwing error by Houston Christian catcher Xander Bard. After another single by right fielder Blake Durbin, Durbin stole second, then stole third and scored on a second error by Bard, widening the lead to 4-1. Right fielder Lane Sparks then hit an inside-the-park home run to center field, his fifth of the season, driving in Durbin and stretching the advantage to 5-1.

Houston Christian chipped away in the bottom of the fifth. With runners on first and third, third baseman Gabe Rader reached on a fielder’s choice that scored a run, cutting the deficit to 5-2. The Huskies, now 21-27, threatened again in the bottom of the sixth when second baseman Tyler Walker homered to deep right field, his second of the year, making the score 5-3. But Lamar’s bullpen held firm from there.

Lamar used six pitchers in the game. Starter Chris Olivier pitched three scoreless innings, allowing no hits and one earned run with two strikeouts. Nathan Darden worked 1 1/3 innings, giving up one earned run and striking out one. Ethan Oceguera recorded one out without allowing a hit. Blayne Fritcher threw 2 1/3 innings of one-hit ball, allowing one earned run with one strikeout, and Travis Lutz closed the final two innings with two strikeouts and no runs allowed. For Houston Christian, starter Jett Feltman took the loss after four innings, allowing three hits and two earned runs while striking out one. Jacob Cyr pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, and Kyler Mentzel struck out two in two-thirds of an inning.

Lamar outhit Houston Christian 7-5. The Cardinals’ defense turned a double play in the first inning that helped keep the Huskies off the board early. The game featured several stolen bases and two errors by the Huskies that proved costly, as three of Lamar’s five runs were unearned.

The victory provided a measure of redemption for the Cardinals, who had lost the series opener to Houston Christian 10-3 on Thursday. Lamar’s previous results included a 15-14 extra-inning win over Sam Houston and a series win over Southeastern Louisiana.

Interstat’s ELO system gave Lamar a 67.30 percent probability to win the game entering Saturday’s contest.