April 25, 2010

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

LOS ANGELES - LMU used big bats and a shutout from freshman Molly Medeiros to register a Sunday doubleheader sweep and take three of four in the weekend's Pacific Coast Softball Conference series against Santa Clara at Smith Field. The Lions (22-18, 9-3 PCSC) got a grand slam from senior Darcy Pagnini as one of four home runs in game one's 12-3 win in five innings, then rode Medeiros' second career shutout to wrap up the series 5-0.

Coming off a five-home run performance in Saturday's game two, the Lions kept pounding Bronco (9-25, 1-10 PCSC) pitching, hitting four more dingers in Sunday's game one as part of a 10-home run weekend. Pagnini's first career grand slam highlighted a seven-run second that included sophomore Kelly Sarginson's third round-tripper of the weekend and sophomores Sam Fischer and Brittany Pereda later added shots. Fischer's was her 14th of the season, leaving her one shy of current assistant coach Danielle Kaminaka's school and PCSC single-season record of 15.

A scoreless first inning gave no indication of the deluge that was to come as LMU put up the most runs in a single inning this season with a seven-run second. Sarginson, who hit two home runs in Saturday's game two, led off the frame with a solo home run, her fifth of the year. Pereda followed with a double and was sacrificed to third, coming home on a single by senior J.J. Hartung. Junior Jennifer Nayudu kept things going with a single and junior Amy Charpentier brought home the inning's third run on an infield single. Santa Clara elected to walk Fischer to load the bases but Pagnini made that decision moot by smacking Kaitlyn Rauschnot's first offering over the leftfield fence for LMU's first grand slam since Charpentier hit one on February 6, 2009.

Comfortably leading, Pereda led off the third with her fourth homer of the year to give the Lions an 8-0 advantage. Santa Clara answered back with two runs in the bottom of the frame, thanks in part to Briana Knight's RBI double down the leftfield that Pereda got a glove on but could not knock down.

LMU put the game out of reach with a four-run fifth. An error and a Hartung single put the first two runners on and, two outs later, sophomore Kylie Ahlo plated both runners with a double into the right-center gap in her only plate appearance of the series. Fischer followed with her 14th homer, going out to straightaway center. Santa Clara would gain one run back in the fifth but LMU maintained the margin for the five-inning victory.

LMU reached double-digit hits for the third straight game, pounding out a dozen, including Hartung's 3-for-3 morning. Pagnini was 2-for-4 with four RBI and Pereda also added a pair of hits in support of senior Melissa Dykema (12-11). The senior went four innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. Sophomore Corie Goodman finished things off, giving up a run on two hits in her innings of work.

Rauschnot (4-12) was tagged for seven runs on six hits to take the lss in 1 2/3 innings of work. Knight had three of SCU's nine hits.

Game two was a little more of a pitcher's duel as SCU's Riley McKay and LMU freshman Molly Medeiros battled. LMU loaded the bases on McKay in the top of the first inning but was only able to get a single run across when McKay unleashed a wild pitch. The Lions doubled their advantage in the third on junior Priscilla Satete's two-out RBI single to left.

Santa Clara's best chance against Medeiros came in the fifth, when a single and an error put runners on second and third with two outs. But Medeiros struck out Emily Batt to strand the tying run at second.

That strikeout proved crucial as LMU tacked on three insurance runs in the sixth. A walk and singles by Nayudu and Charpentier loaded the bases with one out and Fischer drove in two with a single u p the middle. One out later, Sarginson floated a single to left off the end of her bat to make it 5-0.

Medeiros (8-6) limited the Broncos to five hits to gain her second shutout, having tossed a two-hitter against Utah Valley on March 19. She struck out three and walked none to improve to 4-0 in conference play.

Fischer went 2-for-4 with two RBI while Sarginson and freshman Danielle Smith also had two hits apiece.

LMU maintains at least a tie atop the PCSC Coastal Division standings as it heads out on the road for the final time this season. The Lions travel to San Diego for doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday before returning home to face Sacramento State on May 8-9.