May 20, 2005

Box Score

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Danielle Kaminaka's RBI single gave LMU a 1-0 lead in the first inning of its first NCAA Tournament game, but the Lions could not hold on to the early lead and fall to UCLA, 6-1. The Lions will play UNLV, the #2 seed in the UCLA Regional, on Saturday at 12:30pm in the double elimination tournament. The Rebels fell to Cal State Fullerton, 5-4, in the opening game.

Lisa Abbott led off the game with a double to the centerfield wall. Margo Pineda's ground out put Abbott at third, and Kaminaka's single to left field gave LMU the 1-0 lead.

PCSC Pitcher of the Year Tiffany Pagano kept the Bruins scoreless in the first, holding them without a walk, but allowed a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning that gave UCLA the 2-1 lead. The Bruins would never relinquish the lead, taking on two more solo home runs and an RBI double and single for the final 6-1 victory.

UCLA's Anjelica Selden shut down the Lions after the second inning, retiring 16 straight batters. She struck out 12 and did not allow a walk in the game. Three of LMU's four hits came in the first inning, and Jessica Grassi had a single with two outs in the top of the second.

Caitlin Benyi finished with two home runs, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Lisa Dodd was a perfect 3-for-3 with a two-run home run and three RBI.

Pagano falls to 14-7 on the year, allowing six runs on nine hits and two walks. She struck out four batters. Kayla Meeks allowed just two hits and no runs in 1.0 inning of relief, and Samantha Lavino finished the game by allowing one hit and one walk in the bottom of the sixth.

LMU falls to 34-19 on the season, while UCLA improves to 31-16. The Bruins will face Cal State Fullerton in Saturday's opener at 10:00am, and the Lions will face UNLV in the elimination game at 12:30pm.

- GO LIONS! -