Feb. 22, 2004
Box Score
Santa Barbara, Calif. - Loyola Marymount softball went 1-2 at UC Santa Barbara's Softball By the Beach Tournament Friday and Saturday. Behind a strong complete game pitching performance by sophomore Krystal Kehr, the Lions shutout UC Riverside 5-0.
The tournament, called early on Saturday due to inclement weather, was also rained out on Sunday. In their three games, the Lions worked their way onto the final tournament leader board, posting strong numbers against some of the top teams in the nation including No. 3 California.
As a team, LMU finished third in the tournament standings in batting average, hitting .286. Freshman Kirsten Whitt led all individual players, hitting 3-for-3 on the weekend for a perfect average. Junior Danielle Kaminaka led the tournament in doubles (3) and total bases (10) and tied for the lead in hits (4) and RBI (4). Jessica Grassi and Lisa Abbott finished 1-2 in runs scored, with Grassi crossing the plate four times and Abbott three times. Grassi also posted the only triple of the tournament. On the mound, Samantha Lavino led all tournament pitchers with 12 strikeouts.
Kehr threw all seven innings for the Lions in the 5-0 shutout of UCR on Saturday, scattering just four hits. Without walking one batter, Kehr struckout four.
In LMU's second win over UCR this season, the Lions were led offensively by Kaminaka and Whitt, who each went 3-for-3. Kaminaka put LMU on the scoreboard in the third, when her home run scored Abbott, who was on first after a single to left field.
In the fifth inning, Grassi tripled to left center and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Abbott.
Another sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh by senior Trisha Gomes scored Grassi, who had been hit by a pitch and advanced to third by a fielder's choice and a walk. Abbott scored the Lions' final run of the game when Sami Strinz doubled down the left field line.
The win was Kehr's first decision of 2004, moving her record to 1-0.
The Lions dropped their tournament-opening games on Friday, falling to BYU 7-6 in six innings and host UC Santa Barbara 6-1.
Strinz got the start against BYU and went 5.1 innings, before Kehr relieved her for the final batters. Emily Foltz and Gomes led the Lions at the plate, combining for a 4-for-5 outing with one RBI and eight putouts.
Against UCSB, Lavino threw a complete game, striking out 12, but it was not enough to stop the Gauchos. Abbott went 1-for-2 on the game, while Kaminaka added a double.
The Lions' record moves to 7-4 as they prepare for the San Diego Tournament to be hosted by USD next Friday through Sunday.
-GO LIONS-
