April 12, 2008
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
San Diego, CA - LMU returned to Pacific Coast Conference play with a double header split at San Diego Saturday afternoon. Both games went into extra innings as the Toreros (14-27, 1-5 PCSC) took game one 1-0 in eight innings before the Lions (27-15, 2-4 PCSC) pulled out a 7-3 win in 10 innings in game two.
Both teams were evenly matched throughout the day, matching zeroes through regulation in game one. Senior Tiffany Pagano (16-8) battled Jennifer Ellenbeck (5-15) in a classic pitcher's duel that saw the Toreros score the game's only run with two outs in the eighth. After Pagano had retired the first two batters of inning, she hit Celeste Soto and gave up a single to Lindsey Fleet to put the winning run in scoring position. Kathleen Bonja then came through with her second hit of the game to plate Soto with the only run of the game.
Pagano went the distance, allowing five hits and three walks while striking out seven. Ellenbeck matched her with a six hitter, one walk, and one strikeout.
LMU had its chances, putting a runners in scoring position in the first, fifth, seventh, and eighth innings but failing to bring them home. Junior Kirsten Slouber was 2-for-4 as the only Lion to collect multiple hits.
Game two saw the Toreros grab a 1-0 lead in the first on a bases loaded walk by Ellenbeck. The Lions came back to tie in the top of the second on a fielding error by Soto at second that allowed junior Chelsie Tysdal, who had walked earlier in the inning, to score from second.
The Lions took a 3-1 lead with a pair of runs in the fifth. Sophomore J.J. Hartung led off with a single and was moved to second, scoring on Slouber's double to left. Freshman Amy Charpentier followed with a double of her own to plate Slouber and knock USD starter Kristen Gensler from the game.
USD chipped away at the LMU lead, loading the bases with one out in the sixth for Stacy Compton's sacrifice fly that made it 3-2. In the seventh, back-to-back one-out singles chased LMU sophomore starter Melissa Dykema. Pagano came on in relief but could not pick up the save as Fleet delivered a two-out single to tie the game and send it into extras.
LMU had a chance to pull ahead in the ninth on consecutive one-out singles by Hartung and junior MiaSarah Cesena but reliever Jessi Waers retired the next two batters to keep the score knotted at three.
The Lions finally broke through in the tenth thanks to the international tiebreaker. Freshman Jennifer Nayudu was placed on second and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, coming home on sophomore Christine Foley's single to right. Junior Megan Ackerman followed with a single and, two batters later, Hartung doubled to center to bring home Foley. Cesena followed with a two-run single to make it 7-3.
USD loaded the bases on a pair of walks in the tenth but Pagano got out of it by striking out the last two batters to clinch the victory.
Pagano (17-8) pitched 3 2/3 innings of two-hit relief for the victory. Her five strikeouts, combined with her seven in game one, moved her within 12 strikeouts of her LMU single-season record of 227, set last season. Dykema went 6 1/3 in the no-decision, allowing three runs on nine hits.
Waers was tagged with the loss after 5 2/3 innings in which she gave up four runs (three earned) on nine hits. Gensler allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Hartung, the conference's leading hitter, posted her first career four-hit game with a 4-for-5 afternoon. Slouber had another multi-hit game, going 3-for-6 with an RBI and run scored while Cesena also had three hits and two RBI.
The teams do battle again tomorrow with a double header starting at noon.
