March 28, 2010

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

LOS ANGELES - LMU's longest winning streak in three years came to a halt at nine games on Sunday with a doubleheader defeat to fifth-ranked UCLA, 8-2 and 5-0 at Smith Field in Los Angeles. In the teams' first meeting since LMU's historic victory in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, the Lions (12-13) saw their winning streak end in the final contests of a 10-game home stand while the Bruins (26-5) extended their streak to 12 in a row.

Senior Darcy Pagnini had three hits on the day - all doubles - to pace the Lion offense. Her three two-baggers give her 34 for her career, moving her into sixth place on LMU's all-time list while extending her hitting streak to a personal season-high seven games. Sophomore Sam Fischer was hitless, bringing an end to her season-high nine-game hitting streak.

In game one, UCLA held off LMU's early rally, scoring all its runs after the third inning to halt the Lions' eight-game winning streak. The Bruins jumped on top with a run off a Lion error in the third, then tacked on two more in the fourth on Charlotte Dolan's two-run double to left-center.

One time through the order settled the Lions against Aleah Macon and LMU made adjustments in the fourth to answer back with a pair of runs of their own. With two outs, sophomore Kelly Sarginson got the rally going with a single to center and Pagnini followed with a double to right. Sophomore Brittany Pereda got the Lions on the board by beating out an infield single and an error enabled Pagnini to score to bring LMU back to 3-2.

That would be all for the Lions, however, as Andrea Harrison's two-run home run in the fifth restored the Bruins' two-run advantage. B.B. Bates made it 6-2 with an RBI single in sixth and Julie Burney completed the scoring with a two-run homer in the seventh.

Senior Melissa Dykema (8-7) saw her six-game winning streak snapped, allowing eight runs (six earned) on 12 hits in 6 1/3 innings. Freshman Erica Grady finished it off with 2/3 innings of no-hit relief.

Both of Pagnini's hits were doubles as her 2-for-3 effort was also her team-leading eighth multi-hit outing of the year. Pereda, Sarginson, junior Jennifer Nayudu, and freshman Danielle Smith accounted for LMU's other hits.

Macon (8-1) picked up the win with a complete-game six-hitter, striking out 11. Bates was 3-for-4 at the top of the Bruins' lineup, with Harrison and Burney each collecting two hits while driving in two.

UCLA kept its scoring streak going in game two, pushing across at least one run in each of the first four frames before the game was called in the fifth. Harrison accounted for two of the runs with solo homers in the second and fourth, with Bates driving in two more with a two-run double in the second.

LMU's lone hits were of the lead-off variety but they couldn't get much more off of Donna Kerr (12-1). Pagnini led off the second with a double but was stranded as Kerr struck out the next three batters. In the fourth, junior Amy Charpentier's lead-off single looked to get things going, only for Kerr to get out of the inning with a foul-out and two more strikeouts. Kerr finished with 10 strikeouts on the afternoon.

Freshman Molly Medeiros (3-5) had her personal three-game winning streak snapped, giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits in 2 2/3 innings. Grady got more work in, tossing 2 1/3 innings on two-hit ball while allowing a single run.

The Lions head out on the road for the next 11 contests, starting with the First Annual Pre-Conference Tournament next weekend in St. George, Utah. LMU will face BYU on Friday at 5:30 p.m., then Cal State Bakersfield and BYU again on Saturday.