May 11, 2010

Box Score

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - LMU (19-23) and Cal Poly (15-29) combined for 29 runs on 29 hits on Tuesday, as LMU, which committed three errors in the game, dropped an 18-11 affair at Page Stadium. Cal Poly blasted four home runs in the game while sophomore Matt Koch had a pair for LMU. Ten of LMU's 11 runs in the loss came with two out in an inning.

Koch, who hit seventh in LMU's lineup, finished 2-for-5 with two home runs, two runs scored and four RBI. The multi-homer game was the first for Koch in his career, and pushed his total home run count to 12 on the season. Colton Plaia also had a big day offensively for LMU, going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, a double, a walk and three RBI. Sophomore Ryan Hawthorne collected a pair of bloop singles and a RBI to extend his consecutive games reaching streak to 33 games. He has now hit safely in 28 of his last 31 games played.

Luke Yoder was the highlight on Tuesday offensively, batting 4-for-6 with two home runs, three runs scored, five RBI and a triple. He fell a double short of the cycle. The 12 total bases were the most allowed by Lion pitching since Ryan Wiegand managed 12 on May 23, 2009 at Gonzaga. J.J. Thompson and Bobby Crocker each pitched-in three hits, with Crocker notching two triples and three runs scored.

Kyle Anderson got the start for Cal Poly, lasting four and two-thirds innings and allowing 10 runs (eight earned) on 10 hits before giving way to Tommy Erlin. The left-hander dealt the final four and a third innings, allowing just one run and striking out five to earn the victory.

LMU used four pitchers on Tuesday as part of a staff day starting with Alex Gillingham. The right-hander, who will start on Friday against Pepperdine, lasted an inning and two-thirds, allowing an unearned run on two hits before John Lally took over on the hill. The lefty surrendered four runs over two and a third innings. Martin Viramontes was roughed-up in the seven-run Cal Poly fifth, allowing all seven runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks en route to being tagged with the loss. Freshman Aaron Griffin completed the game for LMU, tossing the final four frames and allowing six runs on six hits and four walks.

LMU jumped-out to an early 4-0 lead after one inning, scoring all four runs with two out. Jonathan Johnson led the inning off with a single on the seventh pitch of his at bat before a Hawthorne bloop single and a Jason Barmasse walk loaded the bases with two out. Plaia made the free pass hurt, lining a two-RBI double into right centerfield to put the Lions on the board. Koch followed with a chopper to shortstop that kicked off the glove of Thompson into left centerfield, allowing the final two runs to score unearned.

The Lions handed one run back to Cal Poly in the top of the second as a two-out error by Johnson allowed an unearned run to score from second base. Thompson singled before a wild pitch moved him to second base and into scoring position for the error off the bat of Evan Busby.

Hawthorne's second bloop single, this one dumped down the left field line with two out, plated the fifth run of the game for the Lions in the second inning. A two-out walk and a stolen base by Shon Roe set the table for the RBI-flare from Hawthorne on the ensuing play.

Cal Poly once again answered the bell in the third, powering its way to a pair of runs to cut the deficit to 5-3. Yoder connected on his 10th home run of the season before Crocker tripled into right centerfield. The Mustangs traded an out for a run on the ensuing play, as David Van Ostrand grounded a ball to shortstop to bring home Crocker.

Koch single-handedly scored the two runs in the third inning, blasting a towering shot over Mikos Blue Monster in left field for his 11th home run of the year. Matt Lowenstein drew a leadoff walk before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt in the inning. After a stolen base moved Lowenstein to third with two out, Koch unloaded on an Anderson pitch to plate both runs.

Yoder homered for the second time on Tuesday in the fourth inning, connecting on a two-run shot to left centerfield to run the tally to 7-5. Denver Chavez reached with a walk before also scoring on the Yoder round-tripper. For the right-handed hitting leadoff man, the home run was his 11th of the season, and the third against Lion pitching this year.

The Mustangs were back to swinging in the fifth, scoring seven runs, including six unearned, to run the tally to 12-7 in favor of Cal Poly. Crocker collected his second triple of the game, and third of the season, to start the frame before coming in to score on a Van Ostrand RBI-single into centerfield. Viramontes seemingly settled down from there, striking out the next hitter and inducing a fly ball for out number two. The right-hander then provoked a ground ball to shortstop that was literally kicked by Roe for an error, leaving runners at the corners for Busby. After working to a full count on eight pitches, Busby won the battle and earned a walk to load the bases. The Roe error proved extremely costly from there, as Chavez punched a two-RBI single into centerfield, Yoder tripled home a pair of runs and Adam Melker connected on a two-run home run. For Yoder, the triple left him just a double short of the cycle after five innings of play.

Attempting not to let the game get out of reach, LMU scored three more two-out runs in the home-half of the fifth. After a walk issued to Plaia, Koch homered for the second time on the day to score the first two runs of the inning. Alex Guthrie kept the rally alive with a single up the middle before scoring all the way from first base on a RBI-double into left centerfield from Evan Simonitsch on the ensuing play.

The powerful see-saw battle continued into the sixth inning as Jordan Hadlock connected on his first career home run, the fourth of the game for Cal Poly, with one out to run the tally to 13-10 in favor of the Mustangs. LMU managed to push a run across with less than two out for the first time in the game in the bottom of the inning, scoring on a one-out RBI-single with the bases loaded off the bat of Plaia. The Lions found themselves on the wrong side of a questionable call on the ensuing play when Koch lifted a fly ball down the right field line with the bases loaded that looked to fall in front of a diving Crocker. Instead of resulting in a pair of Lion runs, the play resulted in a double play as Crocker got to his feet and doubled-up the runner at first base to end the threat.

Cal Poly advanced the lead to 14-11 with one run in the top of the seventh. A one-out walk was followed by a single through the left side from Crocker in which the lead runner slid safely into third base and Crocker took second on the throw. Van Ostrand plated the run one pitch later, hitting a one-hopper out to the backhand of Johnson at second base to allow the runner to scamper home safely.

The Mustangs added four more insurance runs in the top of the ninth to take an 18-11 advantage into the last of the ninth. After loading the bases with two out, Cal Poly received a two-RBI single from Hadlock and a two-RBI double inside the bag at third from Thompson to cap the scoring run.

Erlin completed a fantastic relief effort in the ninth, retiring the side in order to earn the victory. The Lions will return to action tomorrow when they play just short of a doubleheader against UC Riverside starting at 4 p.m.