April 22, 2010

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -

Complete Release in PDF Format

BRIEFLY...
Winless in conference play so far this year, LMU (16-18, 0-6) will look to get back on the winning track when it hosts San Francisco (20-17, 3-2) in the first WCC home series of the year over the weekend. The Lions had both midweek games for this week rained out. Wednesday's game at UC Riverside, in which the Lions were winning 7-0 after three innings, will be completed on May 12 prior to the regularly-scheduled 6 p.m. game.

TIME CHANGE!...
LMU's three-game series against San Francisco, scheduled for this weekend, will have a few different start times in an effort to minimize conflicts with LMU's home softball games on Saturday and Sunday. Friday's game will still be played at 3 p.m., while Saturday has been moved to 2 p.m. and Sunday to 1:30 p.m.

YOU CAN'T RAIN ON MY PARADE...
The doubleheader between LMU and UC Riverside, originally scheduled for February 27 in Riverside, Calif., was rained out as Southern California took a powerful hit from Mother Nature. The Lions traveled to Riverside on Wednesday of this week to try to make up one of the two games, but that game was also postponed due to inclement weather. The game will continue, with the Lions leading 7-0 after three innings, on May 12 prior to the regularly-scheduled 6 p.m. game in Riverside. Wednesday's rain-out at home versus Cal State Bakersfield has yet to be rescheduled.

HOW SWEEP IT IS...AND IS NOT...
With a 6-5 victory over Long Beach State on the road on April 13, LMU took both games against the Dirtbags this year, first winning at home on March 16 by a count of 6-4. The season-series sweep marks the first time the Lions have taken all games against Long Beach State in a season since 1988. The Lions actually swept the Dirtbags in 1986, 1987 and 1988. The last time the Lions recorded two victories over Long Beach State in a season was 1992, when the Lions won two of the three meetings. After earning the sweep of the Dirtbags, LMU was swept by Portland in a three-game WCC series. That sweep marked the first time in program history that the Lions had dropped every game of at least a two-game series to the Pilots in a given year. Prior to this year, the last time the Lions lost a season-series to the Pilots was 2004 (1-2), while the last time they lost three or more games was 1999 (1-5).

LION TRACKS...
LMU (16-18, 0-6) never led in Sunday's game en route to dropping a 13-12 affair to Portland (23-9, 8-1) on a walk-off home run off the bat of Kyle Haskin. The Lions had scored twice in the top of the ninth to even the tally at 12 and force a bottom of the ninth. With the win, Portland swept the Lions in the three-game West Coast Conference series. The walk-off home run was the first surrendered by the Lions since Mark Castellitto homered to beat the Lions on May 4, 2007 at Gonzaga. Haskin entered the game as a pinch-hitter and finished 1-for-2 with the home run. The walk-off was the first home run of Haskin's season. Beau Fraser was outstanding once again on Sunday, batting 3-for-4 with three runs scored, a home run, a double and four RBI before being ejected after striking out in the sixth inning. Rocky Gale was a perfect 5-for-5 with three runs scored, three doubles and two RBI. The five hits were the most surrendered by Lion pitching to a single batter since Ricky Oropesa collected five at USC on May 13, 2009. Garrett Queen contributed four RBI in the high-scoring affair. Also sporting a solid day at the plate, C.J. Cullen went 4-for-5 with a double and four runs scored. Chris Dennis earned the decision for Portland, tossing two innings and allowing two runs on three hits with a strikeout to improve to 4-0. Ryan Hawthorne paced the Lions offensively, finishing 5-for-6 with five RBI out of the third spot in the order. The five-hit performance was the first for the Lions since Jonathan Johnson did so on April 9, 2009 vs. San Francisco. Three other Lions finished with three hits, including Johnson, Alex Guthrie and Matt Lowenstein. Johnson went 3-for-5 with three runs scored, two doubles, a walk and two RBI, while Lowenstein was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a RBI. Guthrie went 3-for-4 with two runs scored. LMU collected three sacrifice flies on Sunday, including a pair from Shon Roe. Sophomore Martin Viramontes lasted just two and two-thirds innings, allowing seven runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out two serving as LMU's starter. Alex Gillingham pitched four and two-thirds in relief, surrendering five runs on eight hits and a walk before giving way to Xavier Esquivel. The right-hander tossed an inning and a third and allowed the walk-off home run in the ninth. With the loss, Esquivel fell to 0-2.

TALK ABOUT A TOUGH OUT...
Sophomore Ryan Hawthorne currently ranks fourth in the nation in toughest to strikeout, averaging one strikeout per every 40.7 at bats. The native of Granada Hills, Calif. has now struck out just three times in 122 at bats this year.

HAWTHORNE IS A SERIAL STREAKER...
Sophomore Ryan Hawthorne had his team-best 19-game hitting streak snapped after a 0-for-4 day on April 13 at Long Beach State. Hawthorne batted .390 (30-for-70) with 10 runs scored, six doubles, a home run, six walks and 13 RBI over his 19-game streak. He collected multiple hits in nine of the 19 games, including three straight from March 19-20, and then again from March 28-31. Despite not recording a hit on March 7 and April 13, Hawthorne did reach in both games via a walk, and has thus reached base safely in 26 straight games dating back to March 5 through today's game versus UC Riverside. No stranger to hitting streaks, Hawthorne hit safely in 16 games last year from March 27-April 1.

SO MUCH FOR A POWER OUTAGE...
LMU hit 42 home runs in 2009, and of those 42, just eight came from the bats of players who are still on the roster in 2010...that is a mere 19 percent of the home runs from a year ago. Taking that into consideration, LMU was expected to experience a "power-outage" in 2010. So far, LMU hasn't received the memo. The Lions enter the weekend ranked third in the conference in home runs with 32 through 34 games. That equates to an average of 1.06 home runs per game. At the current rate, LMU is on pace to hit right about 59 home runs this year. Sophomore Matt Koch leads the way with 10 home runs, placing tied for second in the WCC. Sophomore Alex Guthrie is right behind Koch with five, followed by senior Brad Bauer with four.

FOLLOW THE LIONS ONLINE...
Log on to www.LMULions.com for all the latest info on the Lions, including updated schedules, rosters, player bios, and more. Don't forget to also sign up to follow the Lions on Facebook (Facebook.com/LMULions) and Twitter (Twitter.com/LMULions). All LMU baseball games, including those games on the road, will be broadcast live via Gametracker. In addition, in conjunction with Stretch Internet, all LMU baseball games will be broadcast via live audio online at www.LMULions.com. Just visit the Lion baseball page, click on schedule, and click on the links located on the right side of the schedule for that particular game. All broadcasts will be archived within 72 hours of their original airing and will include both the pre-game and post-game shows.

LMU SPORTS WEEKLY...
LMU is also proud to introduce a new weekly podcast show, LMU Sports Weekly, hosted by Jesse Kass. The show will feature radio highlights and recaps from recent games, interviews with student-athletes and coaches, and previews of upcoming events. All shows can be heard online at LMULions.com. Fans can also subscribe to the free podcast via iTunes. Just search "LMU" in the iTunes Store.

INSIDE THE LIONS...
"Inside the Lions" is a special look into LMU Athletics and its student-athletes in a 10 to 15 minute show hosted by a student-athlete, sophomore men's basketball guard Jarred DuBois. Airing roughly twice a month, the show will highlight a student-athlete and give an inside look to why LMU is such a special place. In addition, highlights from top games and other game day features will be within the show. Take a look at the newest show or past shows. It's all here thanks to Lions' All-Access.

COMING TO A GAME?...
Fans, come cheer on the Lions this year at Page Stadium. LMU will host 29 home games this season. To reserve your tickets today, please contact the LMU Ticket Office at (310) 338-LION. Tickets are also available at the Ticket Office prior to the start of the game. When traveling to the venue, please remember that the Loyola Marymount University campus is located in Westchester at One LMU Drive, approximately four miles north of the Los Angeles International Airport. Fans traveling to LMU must use the main entrance off of Lincoln Blvd. on LMU Drive. Those seeking handicap parking must also use the main entrance, where they can get directions from the guard at the front gate. Gates to Page Stadium open roughly two hours before the start of a game.

Friday's baseball game against San Francisco at 3 p.m. is this week's "Team LMU" event. "Team LMU" was created to generate awareness and excitement for LMU sporting events on game days. Staff and students are encouraged to wear LMU gear on designated "Team LMU" days and to attend the games. To view more information about the current and future "Team LMU" events, please visit www.LMULions.com/teamlmu.

DON DIALOGUE...
San Francisco enters the weekend series against the Lions toting a 20-17 overall record, and a 3-2 mark in the West Coast Conference. The Dons are 3-2 over their last five games, including 2-1 over their last three. Most recently, USF split a pair of games with New Mexico earlier this week. USF took two of three games from Saint Mary's in WCC play last weekend. Jared Denham paces the USF offense, sporting a .352 batting average with 17 runs scored, 11 doubles, two triples and 15 RBI. Stephen Yarrow is the team-leader in home runs with 12, also pacing the team in RBI with 35. Pete Lavin and Derek Poppert are the leading base stealers, swiping nine and eight, respectively. Sunday's starter Jordan Remer is the team's top pitcher in terms of ERA, sporting a 0.93 ERA and a 1-0 record in seven appearances and four starts. Doug Murray, who is slated to start on Friday, has amassed a team-best 66 innings and 46 strikeouts to the tune of a 5-4 record and a 3.41 ERA. LMU leads the all-time series between the two teams, 71-45. The Lions are 2-3 over the last five meetings and 4-6 over the last 10 against the Dons. The Lions and San Francisco, led by head coach Nino Giarratano in his 12th season, last met on April 11, 2009 at LMU as the two teams split a doubleheader. The Lions won the season-series last year by taking the first and third games of the series.

DOUBLE THE FUN...
The Lions have had their fair share of doubles this season. LMU entered the weekend ranked fourth in the WCC in doubles with 67 through 34 games played, an average of 1.97 doubles per game. Sophomore Matt Koch leads the way with 11 two-baggers, followed by teammates Ryan Hawthorne and Jonathan Johnson with nine apiece. The Lions collected a season-high seven doubles in a victory over Albany on March 27. They have also posted five doubles on two occasions this year (February 26 versus UC Riverside and March 19 at Fresno State). So far this year, LMU has posted three or more doubles in 10 of its 34 games.

LUCK BE A LALLY TONIGHT...
Sophomore John Lally is slated to make his first Friday start of his career when the Lions welcome San Francisco to Page Stadium this weekend. For Lally, the start will be his eighth of the season and 12th of his career. Lally last started on April 17 at Portland, allowing four runs on six hits over five and a third innings en route to taking the loss. So far this year, Lally has appeared in nine games, starting seven, and has collected a 3-1 record and a 4.53 ERA. Lally has pitched 43.2 innings, allowing 24 runs (22 earned) on 44 hits and 17 walks while striking out 34 batters. He has lasted at least six innings in four of his seven starts this year. The lefty was impressive in his start on April 11 at San Diego, a game in which he did not factor in the decision. He pitched five innings, allowing just one run on three hits and four walks while striking out four. Lally appeared in relief on April 6 at UC Santa Barbara, dealing an inning and allowing an unearned run on two hits and a walk. In his start against Albany on March 27, Lally earned the victory after pitching seven innings and surrendering just three runs and striking out six. In his start on March 20 at Fresno State, Lally went four and a third innings, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks, all of which came with one out in the fifth before not factoring in the decision. Prior to the start against Fresno State, the left-hander posted a pair of victories in his previous two outings, including his best start of his career as he combined with Alex Gillingham to toss a two-hit shutout over Oklahoma State in the championship game of the 2010 Dairy Queen Classic on March 7. After that start, he defeated Cal State Northridge on the road on March 14. Lally tossed six innings and allowed eight runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out seven on a windy day in which both teams hit five home runs. The Lions eventually won the game, 20-10. In the 3-0 victory over Oklahoma State to win the Dairy Queen Classic, Lally used just 89 pitches over the first seven scoreless innings to record his first win of the season. He faced 25 total batters, four over the minimum, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out a career-high tying five batters. For his efforts, he was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament and WCC Pitcher of the Week. Prior to the stellar start against Oklahoma State, Lally last appeared on February 28 in relief versus UC Riverside, tossing two innings, and allowing two runs on five hits. The native of Santa Margarita, Calif. was strong as LMU's starter on February 23 against USC in his first start of the season, lasting six innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits while striking out four before not factoring in the decision.

`CARREON' THE SUCCESS...
Sophomore Ramiro Carreon will take the ball on Saturday after making the Friday start a week ago. For Carreon, the start will be the ninth of this season and the 19th start of his career. The native of Pasadena, Calif. carries a 2-4 record and a 6.11 ERA into the weekend. Over his eight starts and nine appearances this year, he has pitched 45.2 innings, allowing 36 runs (31 earned), on 59 hits and 16 walks while striking out 29. Opponents are hitting .330 against him, and he has lasted at least six innings in four of his eight starts. Carreon lasted just 3.2 innings in his first career Friday start on April 16 at Portland, taking the loss after allowing six runs on nine hits and a walk. Carreon took the loss on April 10 at San Diego, tossing four and a third innings and allowing six runs (five earned) during that game. Carreon pitched a perfect second inning and struck out two in his only relief appearance on April 6 at UC Santa Barbara. In his start against Albany on March 27, Carreon earned his second victory after lasting six innings, allowing five runs on nine hits and four walks while striking out four. In his previous start against Fresno State on March 20, Carreon pitched a career-high seven and two-thirds innings before not factoring in the decision. The right-hander allowed just two runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out three. Chris Eusebio earned the victory after surrendering the game-tying run in the ninth. In his fourth start of the year against Cal State Northridge on March 13, he lasted just four innings, allowing nine runs (eight earned), on eight hits and three walks before taking the loss, his second of the season. Before the game against Northridge, Carreon was outstanding in his previous two starts. He tossed a then-career-high tying seven and a third innings, allowing two runs on nine hits while striking out a career-best seven batters against Northwestern on March 6, a game that the Lions were shut out and fell 3-0, leaving Carreon as the tough-luck loser. In his second start of the year on February 28, Carreon pitched six innings, allowing one run on three hits and two walks while striking out two en route to his first victory of the season over UC Riverside. He tossed only 28 pitches through the first three innings, facing the minimum through those frames. Carreon tossed 5.2 innings in his first start this year on February 20 vs. then-No. 7 UC Irvine, allowing five runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks while striking out three batters before not factoring in the decision.

WEEKEND WARRIOR...
Redshirt-sophomore Martin Viramontes is slated to make his 10th start of the season on Sunday in the final game of the three-game series against San Francisco. In all this year, he has pitched 39.2 innings, allowing 45 runs (34 earned) on 62 hits and 23 walks. Toting a 2-4 record and a 7.71 ERA, he has struck out a team-best 35 batters, while opponents have batted .363 against him. In his last start on April 18 at Portland, the right-hander lasted just 2.2 innings, allowing seven runs on nine hits and two walks but did not factor in the decision. Viramontes started against San Diego on April 9, lasting four innings and allowing eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits and four walks before being tagged with his fourth loss of the season. He pitched the first inning of the game against UC Santa Barbara on April 6, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk before handing the ball over in a staff day on the hill in which LMU pitched nine different players for an inning apiece. Prior to that start, Viramontes pitched five and two-thirds innings, allowing an unearned run on six hits and three walks against Albany on March 26. He struck out six batters and earned the victory in the game as LMU defeated Albany, 4-1. Pitching in his hometown of Fresno, Calif. on March 19 at Fresno State, Viramontes performed well. The right-hander tossed six and a third innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on nine hits and two walks while striking out two to earn his first victory of the season. After an impressive showing in his third start of the year in Minnesota on March 5, Viramontes struggled against Cal State Northridge on March 12. The Bullard High School product lasted three and two-thirds innings and allowed seven runs (two earned) on seven hits and four walks while striking out three. With the loss, he fell to 0-3 on the season. In his third start of the year, Viramontes allowed a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning, but finished the game with six innings pitched, allowing only the three runs on three hits, four walks and a hit-by-pitch, while striking out eight against Minnesota. In his second start of the season against UC Riverside on February 26, Viramontes pitched five innings, allowing eight runs (five earned) on nine hits en route to taking the loss. In his first start of the season on opening day, Viramontes was outstanding through the first five innings, allowing four hits and striking out six against then-No. 7 UC Irvine. The right-hander from Fresno, Calif. tossed five and a third innings total, allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out six. He ran into trouble in the sixth inning before surrendering all five of the runs in that frame. Viramontes suffered a season-ending injury early last year, resulting in a medical redshirt. Prior to the injury, he appeared in and started three games for the Lions. He posted a 7.11 ERA and did not factor in a decision, pitching only 6.1 innings and striking out four.

THE HITTING `KOCH'...
After missing all of last year due to injury, sophomore Matt Koch is currently batting .275 with 26 runs scored, 11 doubles, 10 home runs, 11 walks, two hit-by-pitches, a stolen base, four sacrifice flies and 29 RBI. He has slugged .588 and reached base at a .331 clip. Over the three-game series against then No. 7 UC Irvine to start the year, Koch batted .667 (8-for-12) with three runs scored, five doubles, one walk, a home run and four RBI. He slugged 1.333 and reached base at a .643 clip. Koch was 2-for-4 with two doubles on Friday, 4-for-5 with his first career home run, a double, two runs scored and a RBI on Saturday, and finished 2-for-3 with a run scored, a sacrifice fly, three RBI, a walk and two doubles on Sunday against Irvine. He turned in another solid day at the plate on February 26 versus UC Riverside, batting 3-for-5 with two runs scored, two RBI and a double. The right-handed slugger belted home runs in back-to-back games for the first time in his career on March 12 and 13 versus Cal State Northridge. He repeated the feat just three games later, homering in consecutive games against Fresno State on March 19 and 20. Koch homered in three of the four games against the Bulldogs over that weekend. For the third time this year, Koch hit home runs in back-to-back games on March 27 and 28 versus Albany. He blasted five home runs over an eight-game hitting streak from March 12 through March 21. He was 12-for-31 (.387) with nine runs scored, two doubles, five home runs, two walks and nine RBI over the span, collecting a slugging percentage of .935. Koch entered the weekend ranked tied for second in the conference in home runs (10), sixth in total bases (77), tied for seventh in doubles (11), seventh in slugging percentage (.588), and ninth in RBI (29). He currently leads the team in slugging percentage (.588), RBI (29), doubles (11), home runs (10), total bases (77), and sacrifice flies (4). He finds himself in the top-three of nine major offensive categories for LMU. Koch has posted 11 multiple-hit games and a team-best eight multiple-RBI games. In all, Koch has hit safely in 22 of the 34 games this year.

SETTING THE TABLE...
Junior Jonathan Johnson has emerged as one of the team-leaders offensively this year. The native of Lakewood, Calif. has hit .311 with 33 runs scored, nine doubles, four triples, a home run, 12 walks, nine hit-by-pitches, seven stolen bases and 13 RBI serving as LMU's leadoff hitter in each of the first 34 games of the season. He has slugged .462 and reached base at a .403 clip. After finishing 0-for-5 in the season opener on February 19, Johnson went 4-for-4 with a hit-by-pitch on February 20 and 3-for-3 over his first three at bats on February 21. His fourth at bat that day resulted in a strikeout, but Johnson reached first base on a missed third strike that got away from UC Irvine backstop Francis Larson. In all, Johnson recorded a hit in seven consecutive at bats, and reached base safely in nine straight plate appearances. He had another stellar day at the plate on February 26 versus UC Riverside, finishing 3-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored. Continuing his hot streak, Johnson batted 3-for-4 with a triple, two stolen bases and a run scored to help LMU to a victory in the championship game of the 2010 Dairy Queen Classic on March 7. Johnson turned-in his second four-hit game of the season on March 19 at Fresno State, finishing 4-for-5 with two runs scored, a double and two RBI. He hit safely in 11 straight games from February 20 through March 12, batting .435 (20-for-46) with 11 runs scored, four doubles, four triples, a home run, two walks, three stolen bases and five RBI over the span. The team-leader in triples with four, he tripled in three straight games from March 6-12, and posted an extra-base hit in five straight from March 2-12. Johnson entered the weekend ranked tied for second in the conference in triples (4), tied for sixth in runs scored (33), and tied for eighth in stolen bases (7). He currently leads the team in runs scored (33), triples (4), hit-by-pitches (9), and stolen bases (7). He is listed in the top-three of 11 major offensive categories for LMU. Johnson has posted seven multiple-hit games, including two four-hit games, and five multiple-RBI games. In all, Johnson has hit safely in 26 of the 34 games this year, and has been held hitless in back-to-back games just once (April 10-11).

LUCKY NUMBER 7...
Junior Jason Barmasse has been very impressive in his inaugural campaign in a Lion jersey after transferring into the program from Pierce College. Barmasse, who has started 29 of the 34 games this season, has found time in 32 overall. The native of Westlake, Calif. is batting .287 with 21 runs scored, seven doubles, three home runs, 19 walks, three hit-by-pitches, two stolen bases and 20 RBI. He has reached base at a .415 clip and slugged .446. His best day so far this year came on March 14 at Cal State Northridge, as he finished 3-for-6 with a three-run home run, two singles, two runs scored and five RBI. His second home run came on March 23 versus Cal State Fullerton when he belted a two-run shot to help LMU to a 4-2 victory over the Titans. He went deep just two games later, hammering his third home run of the year on March 27 versus Albany. Serving as a pinch-hitter and then taking over in right field against USC on February 23, Barmasse finished 2-for-2 with a run scored. He amassed two hits in five consecutive games from February 21-28, including a 2-for-4 day with a pair of doubles, two runs scored and a RBI against UC Riverside on February 26. Barmasse entered the weekend ranked fourth in the WCC in walks with 19. He currently sits in the top-three of four major offensive categories for LMU, including first in walks (19). He has posted 10 multiple-hit games and six multiple-RBI games, including one of only three five-RBI games this year for LMU. He hit safely in each of the first seven games of the season, going 12-for-27 (.444) with eight runs scored, four doubles, two walks, a hit-by-pitch, and two RBI over the span. In all, Barmasse has hit safely in 18 of his 31 games played with an at bat.

HOT-HITTING HAWTHORNE...
Sophomore Ryan Hawthorne has cemented his spot in the Lion outfield after going on an offensive tear as of late, including a 19-game hitting streak that ran from March 12-April 11. The left-handed hitter is currently batting a team-best .377 with 12 runs scored, nine doubles, a home run, eight walks, a hit-by-pitch and 25 RBI. His slugging percentage sits at .475 and his on-base percentage is .417. After batting .091 through his first three games, and .211 through his first five, Hawthorne has batted .408 since March 5, a span of 26 games. In addition, since taking over in the third spot in the Lion batting order on March 12 at Cal State Northridge, he has batted .411 with 11 runs scored, seven doubles, a home run and 21 RBI over 23 games. Hawthorne has collected a team-high 14 multiple-hit games and seven multiple-RBI games, including a 4-for-4 day at the plate against Cal State Northridge on March 12 in which he finished with a run scored, a double and two RBI. His best day so far came on April 18 at Portland when he batted 5-for-6 with five RBI. The five hits were the most by a Lion this year, while the five RBI marked the third the a Lion has reached that plateau. One of two three-RBI performances came on February 28 versus UC Riverside when he finished 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored. He later repeated the feat on April 6 at UC Santa Barbara, batting 1-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored and the three RBI. His lone home run this year came on March 14 at Cal State Northridge, a day that saw five Lion home runs. Hawthorne entered the weekend ranked third in the conference in batting average at .377, and tied for sixth in hits (46). On the national level, Hawthorne is currently fourth in the nation in toughest to strike out, averaging just one strikeout per 40.7 at bats. He currently sits in the top-three of nine major offensive categories for LMU, including first in batting average (.377), hits (46), and sacrifice bunts (4). In all, Hawthorne has hit safely in 26 of his 31 games played this year.

SOPHOMORE SLUGGER...
Sophomore Alex Guthrie has emerged as a powerful option in the LMU lineup so far this year. The native of Sunnyvale, Calif. is batting .275 with 21 runs scored, five doubles, five home runs, a team-high tying nine hit-by-pitches, three walks, two stolen bases and 17 RBI. He is slugging .459. He has also posted eight multiple-hit and six multiple-RBI games this season. His biggest home run this year came on March 5 at Minnesota in the first game of the 2010 Dairy Queen Classic when he broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the ninth with a solo-shot, his third homer of the year, to left centerfield. Guthrie's best day at the plate came on March 14 at Cal State Northridge, as he batted a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs scored, a double, a home run, two hit-by-pitches and two RBI. He collected a season-best three RBI for the second time this season when he batted 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI on March 31 versus Cal Poly. He previously reached that mark when he went 3-for-4 with a run scored, a double, a walk and three RBI at Fresno State on March 19.

I'M GOING STREAKING...
Sophomore Ryan Hawthorne is the lone Lion carrying a three-game hitting streak or better into the weekend series against San Francisco. The left-handed hitter, who had a 19-game hitting streak earlier this year, is batting .643 (9-for-14) with a double and seven RBI over the three games. He has posted multiple hits in all three games, including a 5-for-6 day with five RBI against Portland on April 18. With a walk in the games book-ending the 19-game hitting streak and two hits prior to the streak, Hawthorne has reached safely in 26 games dating back to March 5.