April 11, 2010

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

Bakersfield, Calif. - A four-run, two-out rally in the seventh and two strong pitching performances from freshman Molly Medeiros gave LMU a pair of victories on Sunday and a four-game weekend sweep of Cal State Bakersfield in the first series of Pacific Coast Softball Conference play. The Lions (17-15, 4-0 PCSC) overcame a 4-1 deficit in the seventh inning for a 5-4 game one win on senior Christine Foley's walk-off single before Medeiros tossed a six-hitter for a 6-1 win in the finale. It is the program's first-ever opening-weekend sweep in the eight-year history of the PCSC.

In the teams' first three meetings of the season, one non-conference last week and yesterday's conference doubleheader, LMU had needed to score in its last at-bat each time to gain wins. Things would be no different in Sunday's first game as the Lions, playing as the home team, scored four times with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to clinch the series.

After LMU's sweep on Saturday, the Roadrunners (12-26, 0-4 PCSC) seemingly took control with a three-run sixth on Sunday in the hopes of swinging the series momentum back in their favor. Junior Sam Fischer's RBI single in the third had staked the Lions to a 1-0 lead but CSUB tied it up with three straight singles in the fourth.

Singles by Kelli Bailey, Ryane Petersen, and Kristen Archuleta gave the Roadrunners a 2-1 lead and the offense kept pouring it on against senior Melissa Dykema. A walk and singles by Jill McClelland and Jaimey Kleinsmith brought home two more runs and brought an end to Dykema's day. With the bases loaded and one out, on came Medeiros, who first got a groundball that forced a runner at home before inducing an inning-ending pop-up to limit the lead to 4-1.

Still, LMU had something left in the tank, for its seventh win in its final at-bat this year. Junior Priscilla Satete, Saturday's game-one hero with her two-out two-run home run in the seventh, led things off with a walk and one out later, junior Jennifer Nayudu doubled down the rightfield line. Luck appeared on CSUB's side when freshman Danielle Smith hit a hard liner that hopped in front of CSUB rightfielder Chelsey Bell. Running at third base, Satete inexplicably went back to tag up instead of going half-way. Upon seeing the ball land for a hit, she still tried to score, but Bell made a perfect throw, and catcher Kleinsmith tagged out Satete to deny the run. Nayudu moved to third and Smith took second on the throw, however, setting up a fortuitous play that swung the momentum back to LMU.

Katie Chavez (1-4) coaxed what, on any normal day, would have been a lazy, game-ending fly ball to medium centerfield from junior Amy Charpentier. But a strong wind blowing in from center turned the 180-foot final out into a 90-foot, two-run bloop single that eluded the desperate dive of McClelland and enabled Nayudu and Smith to score, making it 4-3. Their life restored, the Lions piled it on Chavez as Fischer walked and consecutive singles by senior Darcy Pagnini, freshman Skylar Segura, and Foley gave LMU the walk-off victory.

Foley and Segura each had two hits and an RBI to pace the Lions' attack. Nayudu, who has been on a particular hot streak, finished 1-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored. Medeiros moved her record to .500 for the first time all season with 1 2/3 innings of no-hit relief.

Medeiros carried that momentum into the series finale, where she flummoxed the Roadrunners, who had very little left after losing four straight one-run games to the Lions. Medeiros worked her way out of a bases-loaded jam in the first with only a run's damage, opening the door for the offense to take over.

Senior J.J. Hartung began LMU's four-run third with a one-out walk and stole second, advancing to third on a single by Nayudu. Smith brought Hartung home by bouncing a single through the right side and Charpentier inflicted further injury upon CSUB with a two-run double to left-center for her sixth RBI of the series before Fischer singled her home for a 4-1 LMU advantage.

Single runs in the fourth and fifth completed the Lions' scoring. Nayudu was in the thick of things in the fourth, helping to extend the lead. After a one-out single, she moved to third on a throwing error and scored on a wild pitch. Fischer's double opened the fifth as she later scored on Satete's sacrifice fly.

Meanwhile, Medeiros (7-6) won her third straight decision by holding CSUB to six hits and a single unearned run. She overcame seven walks and two LMU errors with four strikeouts that helped to strand 13 CSUB runners.

Nayudu's second career three-hit performance led the way as she finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored, putting an end to a fantastic weekend that saw her hit .583 (7-for-12). Fischer was 2-for-3 for her ninth multi-hit outing of the season.

LMU stays on the road next weekend with a visit to Saint Mary's, who had their Sunday doubleheader against San Diego postponed until Monday.