March 30, 2010

Box Score | Photo Gallery

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - LMU pitching allowed the leadoff runner to reach safely in each of the first seven innings en route to the Lions (13-12) dropping a 9-7 decision to USC (13-12) on Tuesday at LMU's Page Stadium. With the win, USC has now won four straight games over the Lions, including both regularly-scheduled meetings this year.

Ryan Hawthorne, Matt Koch and Matt Lowenstein each collected two hits and a run scored on Tuesday, with Koch, Lowenstein and Shon Roe each contributing two RBI. With the two hits, Hawthorne has now hit safely in 14 straight games. Freshman Aaron Griffin got the start and lasted four and two-thirds innings, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on six hits and five walks en route to being tagged with his second loss of the year. As a team, LMU walked seven USC hitters. Freshman Alex Sachs proved to be a bright spot in the Lion relief effort, dealing three scoreless frames to finish the game on the hill for LMU.

Joe DePinto and Alex Sherrod each posted two hits for USC, with DePinto also driving-in a pair. Adam Landecker also contributed two RBI, both coming on his first home run of the year in the second. Matt Foat also went deep for USC, belting a leadoff shot in the sixth. Shuhei Fujiya got the start for the Trojans but did not record an out, allowing all four of the Lion runs in the first inning before being lifted for Chris Mezger. The right-hander was stellar, tossing four scoreless frames and allowing just one hit and a walk en route to claiming his third victory of the season. After three more Trojan relievers combined to pitch four innings and allow three runs, Chad Smith tossed a scoreless ninth to record his first save of the season.

After USC plated a pair of runs in the top of the first, LMU responded with four of its own in the home-half of the frame. USC plated its first run on a Ricky Oropesa RBI-double off the wall in left field. After Oropesa moved to third on a ground ball to the right side, a wild pitch allowed him to scamper home for the second Trojan run of the game. A pair of leadoff walks and a single through the right side by Hawthorne loaded the bases for LMU in the bottom of the inning. Koch contributed a two-RBI double on the ensuing play before a Lowenstein single and a squeeze bunt from Roe capped the scoring run.

The two-run lead did not last long as USC knotted the tally at four runs apiece on one swing of the bat from Landecker. Mike O'Neill reached on an error charged to Roe at shortstop, setting the table for Landecker's first home run of the year over Mikos Blue Monster in left field to even the score.

After a scoreless third for both teams, USC posted two runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth to run the tally to 8-4. O'Neill singled and stole second base in the fourth inning before a walk put runners at first and second. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners 90 feet before DePinto contributed a two-RBI single into left field. Foat took it upon himself to score the first of two runs in the fifth, belting his fifth home run of the year on the first pitch of the inning. For the second time on the day, a wild pitch resulted in a run later in the inning, as a pitch from Griffin skipped by Koch behind the plate and allowed Sherrod to score from third. A heads-up play from Hawthorne in centerfield saved LMU a run on the final play of the frame, as he came up throwing on what should have been a RBI-single. Instead, Hawthorne fired the ball to second base, where he caught the trail-runner turning the bag too far before the runner trying to score from second could cross the plate.

The Lions cut the deficit to three runs at 8-5 on a clutch two-out RBI-single from Hawthorne in the fifth. Joel Licon started the inning with a single into left field before advancing to third on a pair of groundouts. Hawthorne followed with the hit on a 2-2 breaking ball, whacking the pitch back up the middle. USC responded for a run of its own in the top of the sixth as Sherrod contributed a RBI-single through the right side with runners at the corners. That run reclaimed the four-run USC advantage at 9-5.

Refusing to surrender, LMU posted one more run in the bottom of the sixth. Lowenstein singled before two errors on the same play were charged to Landecker, leaving runners at the corners with nobody out. Logan Odom did all he could in the inning to minimize the damage, picking Nick Devian off at first base for the first out and inducing a ground ball to the right side to trade an out for a run. The right-hander finished the frame by fielding a dribbler down the third base line and throwing out the runner to escape further damage.

The Lions managed to push a run across in the seventh, but they stranded the bases loaded in the frame. Johnson singled with one out before a Jason Barmasse walk put runners at first and second. Koch followed with a walk two batters later to load the bases, preceding a hit-by-pitch from Lowenstein to force in the run and cut the deficit to two runs at 9-7.

The Lions did put a runner on in the ninth inning with one out, but the offense could not muster a run in the frame en route to falling, 9-7. The Lions return to action tomorrow when they host Cal Poly at 3 p.m. to conclude a seven-game homestand.