Feb. 8, 2004

St. George, Utah - After winning its first four contests of 2004, the Loyola Marymount softball team dropped two tough games today to conclude the Southern Utah Tournament. Five different Lions combined for a total of six home runs on the day, but it wasn't enough to carry LMU past Southern Utah (4-2) or Utah (10-9, 8 innings).

Senior Sami Strinz threw another complete game for the Lions in the early match-up with host Southern Utah. She gave up six hits, while striking out four. Trisha Gomes and Casie Phillips each belted home runs for the Lions, Gomes' in the second inning and Phillips' coming in the sixth. But the Lions fell 4-2 for their first loss of the 2004 season.

In LMU's final game of the Southern Utah Tournament, the Lions and Utah fought for eight innings before Utah took the 10-9 victory in the tiebreaker. Samantha Lavino, Krystal Kehr, and Sami Strinz shared the pitching duties. Hitting four home runs in five innings and a total of 11 LMU hits, Lisa Abbott hit two home runs, while Caylin Hornish and Danielle Kaminaka each added one.

LMU returns to Los Angeles with a 4-2 overall record. The Lions will travel to Riverside for a doubleheader rematch with UC Riverside on Tuesday at noon.

-GO LIONS-