BEAUMONT — Lamar baseball coach Jim Gilligan admitted senior pitcher Jayson McKinley did something Saturday he could never do.
McKinley took the mound Saturday against New Orleans a day after learning his father had passed away.
The senior did not get the win but give Gilligan a solid performance in the Cardinals 7-5 victory over the Privateers. Lamar swept the three-game series to improve to 16-7 overall and 7-2 in Southland Conference play.
McKinley, a native of Friendswood, gave up three runs in six innings on four hits with three strikeouts and three walks.
“It was very important for our team to rally behind him (McKinley),” Gilligan said. “We told him he didn’t have to be here but he said his dad really wanted him to be here. This was probably the biggest game of his life. I couldn’t have done it and very few people could. That is McKinley. He is a fantastic man and I am very proud of him.”
McKinley said there was no way he was not going to be on the mound Saturday.
“I really wanted to be out here because I knew my dad wanted me to be out here,” McKinley said. “It was easy. My family came up and so did friends from church in Houston. It was nice to come up here and it was a nice getaway. The last words he said to me were ‘I love you.’ That is a nice way to remember him.”
McKinley held the Privateers (16-8, 4-5) scoreless until the fourth inning when Scott Crabtree hit a sacrifice fly to center to plate Dakota Dean to give UNO a 1-0 lead.
The Cardinals responded in the bottom half of the inning with three runs to take a 3-1 lead.
Lamar second baseman Chaneng Varela had a RBI sacrifice fly, center fielder Brendan Satran doubled home right fielder Jacoby Middleton and shortstop Stijn van der Meer singled to drive in Satran to end the scoring.
McKinley was still rolling through the middle innings and Lamar gave him a 5-1 lead heading into the seventh, the final inning of McKinley’s day.
UNO first baseman Scott Crabtree and center fielder Chaz Boyer both singled to lead off the seventh to run McKinley out the game. The Privateers scored four runs in the inning to tie the game and send McKinley to a no decision.
“I should’ve taken McKinley out and I didn’t,” Gilligan said. “It was just one of those things. They squared up a couple and we should’ve turned a double play and didn’t. He gets a no decision but that is the second time in a row that he’s come out and been really great.
“He is such a wonderful kid. He is the reason you want to get into coaching. To be able to have a little piece of that young man’s life has been quite n honor.”
Lamar tacked on two runs in the bottom of the sixth to give the Cardinals a 5-1 lead.
First baseman Jake Nash ripped a RBI triple and then scored on a RBI single by third baseman Cutter McDowell.
The Cardinals regained the lead for good in the bottom of the seventh.
Van der Meer drove in pinch runner Gavin Tristan on a RBI single and Nash put the Cardinals up 7-5 with a RBI single to left that plated Satran.
Lamar relief pitcher Enrique Oquendo (1-0) picked up the win on the mound. He threw 2 2/3 innings of perfect ball with two strikeouts.
Saturday’s win was the sixth in a row for the Cardinals who head to Austin Tuesday to face the Texas Longhorns at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.