Box Score April 24, 2010
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LOS ANGELES, Calif. - LMU (16-20, 0-8) dropped a 9-2 decision to San Francisco (22-17, 5-2) on Saturday in the second game of a three-game West Coast Conference series being played at LMU's Page Stadium over the weekend. The Dons scored eight of their nine runs with two out in the game. The Lions are 0-8 to start conference play for the first time since 1995.
LMU managed just three hits in the game, including one from Shon Roe, Ryan Hawthorne and Joel Licon. Roe and Hawthorne each doubled in the loss, as Hawthorne's double extended his hitting streak to five games and drove in one of the two Lion runs.
Ramiro Carreon got the start and lasted four and two-thirds innings, allowing seven runs on 12 hits and a walk en route to taking the loss. Sophomore Alex Gillingham pitched well in relief for LMU, tossing four and a third innings and surrendering just two runs on five hits and striking out eight batters.
Matt Lujan earned the victory for USF, pitching seven innings and allowing just one unearned run on two hits and three walks. With the win, Lujan improved to 5-4 on the year. Nik Balog paced the USF offense, finishing 4-for-5 with a run scored, two RBI and three doubles. Stephen Yarrow and Connor Bernatz each homered in the game, as Bernatz went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, a double and a three-run homer.
San Francisco took an early 3-0 lead in the second inning, scoring all three runs with two out in the frame. Carreon struck out the first two hitters swinging before Bernatz doubled on a 3-1 pitch to get the two-out rally started. Robert Abel singled off of Jonathan Johnson at second base to push the first run home before stealing second base to set up a RBI-double from Pete Lavin. Jason Mahood capped the scoring on the ensuing play, singling through the left side to plate Lavin.
LMU cut the deficit to 3-1 after four innings, benefitting from a two-out error to score an unearned run in the fourth. Jason Barmasse reached with a one-out walk before a pop-out from Matt Koch went for the second out of the inning. After Barmasse stole second base to put himself in scoring position, Matt Lowenstein grounded a ball off of Abel's glove at second base, allowing Barmasse to turn third and score the unearned run.
The Dons answered right back in the top of the fifth, scoring four more two-out runs to run the tally to 7-1. Yarrow got the inning going with a one-out single to right field before moving to second base on a groundout for out number two. Balog contributed the RBI-single to right field to push the first run home, preceding a Mason Morioka single to put two men aboard. Bernatz made the most of the opportunity, belting his third home run of the year, a towering three-run homer, over Mikos Blue Monster in left field to highlight the frame.
USF extended the lead to 9-1 with a run in the sixth and one more in the eighth. Derek Poppert singled with one out before coming around to score on a Balog RBI-double with two out in the sixth. Yarrow did all the damage by himself in the eighth, connecting on his team-best 13th home run of the year to leadoff the frame.
The Lions did manage to score one final run in the eighth, but it proved too little and too late. Johnson reached with a one-out walk before Hawthorne sent a ball off the wall in left field to drive in the run and extend his hitting streak.
The two teams will complete the three-game series tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.
