BEAUMONT — By the time Sam Houston State raced to a 5-0 lead through two innings, Lamar first baseman Trey Silvers had about enough.

“This is the team we’ve got to beat here,” he said. “It helps us out in the standings.”

Silvers led off a four-run third inning with a walk and scored, hammered a go-ahead, two-run home run in the fourth and tied the game on an eighth-inning single to lead the Cardinals to a 9-8 win over their in-state rivals, ending a five-game losing streak and pulling within two games of the Bearkats’ second-place standing in the Southland Conference.

Robin Adames followed up Silvers’ two-run slap to right field with a sacrifice grounder to third base to score the winning run.

“We’re never out of the game,” Silvers said. “Everybody, 1 through 9 [in the batting order] can swing the bat. I was lucky enough for it to be me today. Who knows? It may be somebody else tomorrow.”

Jake Nash, Cutter McDowell, Bryndan Arredondo and Silvers each had two hits for Lamar (32-15, 17-8 Southland). Silvers drove in four runs.

Game 2 is scheduled for 2 p.m. today with Billy Love (5-3, 2.97 ERA) going against Riley Gossett (6-0, 2.76). If today’s and Sunday’s game goes the same way Friday’s did, Jim Gilligan may live with it in his final home series as the Cardinals’ head coach.

“They [Bearkats] were putting on a clinic on how to play baseball,” Gilligan said.

Silvers’ jack was his sixth of the season and 17^th extra-base liner of the season. He almost has three times as many extra-baggers as he does singles this season.

Sam Houston (31-19, 19-6) scored four in the first inning, and it all started with a close safe call on Bryce Johnson’s leadoff slide to beat a throw to first base. Lance Miles drove him home on a chop single two at-bats later, Andrew Fregia doubled in the second run with two outs, and Robie Rojas followed with a two-run smash over the left-center field yellow line.

Yet, Will Hibbs, making his final home start, lasted through six full innings, spreading out 11 hits and allowing six earned runs. He struck out seven in a no-decision.

“I’ve got to hand it to Will Hibbs after handing five runs in two innings,” Gilligan said. “He throws up two zeros [actually three scoreless innings], and that gave us time.”

Lamar produced four runs on five straight hits in the third following Silvers’ walk. Adames and Chaneng Varela at the bottom of the order delivered back-to-back doubles to result in two runs, Nash drove in another on a single, and Reid Russell pushed across the fourth on a sacrifice. Silvers’ homer followed a Jacoby Middleton single.

Rojas started the sixth and scored on Johnson’s single. Both batted 3 for 5 to lead the Bearkats.

Rojas made it a 7-6 lead on a single, followed by a Jaxxon Grisham sac grounder. That chased Jimmy Johnson and made way for Travis Moore (3-2, 2.25), who struck out two and did not give up a hit the rest of the way for the win.

The Cards backed up Moore with an eighth-inning outburst starting with McDowell’s double. Arredondo singled and Middleton was hit by a pitch with one out to set up Silvers’ game-tying hit.

Miles Manning (4-3, 4.63) took the loss after allowing three earned runs on three hits in the final two defensive innings. Heath Donica allowed six earned runs on nine hits while registering eight Ks in six frames.

Admission and hot dogs for today’s game, tabbed as Jim Gilligan Day at the field, are $1 each.

I.C. Murrell: 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews