April 8, 2005
Box Score
Los Angeles, Calif. - LMU starter Jeff Stevens had a strong outing, allowing just one run on seven hits through eight innings, until Justin Pierce's two-run shot over the Mikos Blue Monster gave Portland the 3-2 lead in the top of the ninth Friday afternoon at George Page Stadium. Stevens faced 34 batters without a walk in the pitchers' dual, but the Pilots' Given Kutz went the distance in the opening game of the West Coast Conference series.
The Lions (11-18, 4-5 WCC) held a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth until Pierce's home run cleared the Mikos Blue Monster and brought in Adam Kerr, who had singled to right to start the inning for the Pilots (12-18, 3-7 WCC). The two-run shot hung the first runs on the scoreboard for Portland since the third inning.
Friday marked the first game of the 2005 season that the Lions' dropped after leading in the seventh inning. LMU entered the game 8-0 when leading in the seventh.
LMU took the 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth when junior Kyle Mura's single to center scored James Cooper, who had started the inning with a single.
Trailing 1-0 in the fourth, the Lions had tied the game on a two-out RBI single by freshman Sean Dovel. Dovel's hit scored Mura, who had doubled earlier in the inning. The extra base hit was Mura's third in two games.
Portland was the first to score when Jason Krohn's two-out single scored Jesse Rodgers in the top of the third. Krohn led the Pilots with a 3-for-5 offensive outing.
Mura and Cooper had the multiple-hit effort for the Lions, each going 2-for-4.
Stevens suffered the loss and fell to 2-5 on the season, despite his 8.1 inning outing where he struck out seven without a walk.
Kutz's complete game improved his record to 5-3.
Friday's game opened cross-division play for the WCC's eight teams, as the Lions faced its first West Division opponent. In the two other WCC day games Friday, both Coast Division teams fell to the West as San Francisco topped Gonzaga and Saint Mary's fell to Pepperdine. San Diego and Santa Clara were scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. match-up on Friday.
The Lions and Pilots will continue the three-game series on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at George Page Stadium.
-GO LIONS-
