March 19, 2010

Box Score | Photo Gallery

LOS ANGELES - LMU pounded out 21 runs on 21 hits to sweep the second day of play at the Crowne Plaza LAX Showcase on Friday at Smith Field. Senior Darcy Pagnini drove in six runs on the day in support of fine pitching outings from senior Melissa Dykema and freshman Molly Medeiros as the Lions beat Utah Valley 7-0 and Bucknell 14-2 in five innings to run their winning streak to six games. Earlier in the day, Bucknell defeated North Dakota 7-4 before North Dakota turned around to beat Utah Valley 6-2.

After collecting double-digit hits in both of Thursday's contests, the Lion offense stayed hot, led by Pagnini. The fifth-year senior was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored against Utah Valley before exploding for two more hits and five RBI against Bucknell. She and senior J.J. Hartung each collected multiple hits in both games as Hartung finished the day 4-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored.

The day started with the Lions (9-11) shutting out Utah Valley (4-13) on a splendid two-hitter by Medeiros (2-4). The freshman won her second straight start with her first career shutout, giving up a first-inning single before retiring 15 straight Wolverines. After a sixth-inning walk, she gave up a two-out single in the seventh and faced just two batters over the minimum.

Medeiros got all the support she would need in LMU's four-run second. Pagnini got things going with a run-scoring single after sophomore Kelly Sarginson reached third on a dropped fly ball and an illegal pitch. Two walks, a single, and five illegal pitches later, LMU led 4-0. Sophomore Sam Fischer, coming off a Thursday in which she hit two home runs, led off the third with a solo shot to add to the Lion advantage and LMU would tack on two more in the fifth on a wild pitch and junior Priscilla Satete's run-scoring single.

The merry-go-round carried over into game two as LMU posted season-highs in runs (14) and hits (13) against Bucknell (4-5). The Lions scored in every inning, including batting around in both the first and third innings, putting up five runs in each of those frames. Nine different Lions collected at least one hit and nine players drove in at least one run, with Pagnini, Hartung, sophomore Kelly Sarginson, and freshman Danielle Smith having two hits apiece. But the day belonged to Pagnini, who drove in two runs in the second on a single up the middle, then hit a bases-clearing double in the third. In fact, doubles were a theme in the victory as LMU found the gaps for seven two-baggers from seven different sources.

That was more than enough for Dykema (6-6), who lost her no-hit bid on Shelly McCormack's one-out single in the fourth and her shutout in the fifth, when Bucknell scored a pair of consolation runs. Those would not matter in the decision, though, as Dykema won her fourth straight start, allowing two runs on five hits to move past Jenny Chambers (1995-98) into third place on LMU's wins list with the 58th of her career.

LMU puts its perfect 4-0 record in the tournament on the line Saturday as the tournament comes to a close. The Lions take the field against Utah Valley at 10 a.m. after the Wolverines and Bucknell get the day started at 8 a.m. Bucknell and North Dakota face off at noon and the tournament concludes with LMU vs. North Dakota.