May 29, 2010

Box Score

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - LMU (23-32, 5-15) led virtually the entire game en route to defeating Santa Clara (23-31, 7-13) by a count of 10-6 on Saturday at LMU's Page Stadium. The Lions scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth to help secure the victory and snap a season-high six-game skid. LMU will now play for the series victory tomorrow, a day on which LMU will also honor its four graduating seniors.

Sophomore Martin Viramontes tossed six and two-thirds innings and worked out of trouble on a few occasions en route to a victory. The right-hander allowed four runs on 10 hits and four walks before giving way to Chris Eusebio and improving to 4-7 with the win. Eusebio dealt the final two and a third for the Lions, surrendering two runs on four hits and a strikeout to claim his sixth save of the year.

Alex Guthrie paced the offense in terms of hits, finishing 3-for-4 with two runs scored out of the eighth spot in the order. Sophomore Ryan Hawthorne went 2-for-3 with a home run, a sacrifice fly, a walk, a run scored and two RBI. The homer was Hawthorne's second of the season. Matt Lowenstein extended his hitting streak to 15 straight games with a 1-for-3 day at the dish, while Colton Plaia notched three RBI on one swing of the bat, a triple with the bases loaded in the eighth. Officially, Plaia was 2-for-4 with his first career triple, three RBI and a run scored.

Geoff Klein did all he could in the loss for Santa Clara, batting 4-for-4 with a run scored, a double and a RBI. Tommy Medica went 1-for-3 with three runs scored, while Ryan Rieger drove in three runs with a 2-for-3 day at the plate and a double. Alex Rivers got the start and took the loss after dealing five and two-thirds innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits and two walks. The Bronco bullpen allowed five runs over two and a third innings, including three runs (two earned) charged to Jon Hughes.

Santa Clara manufactured a run in the top of the first, benefitting from a leadoff single from Matt Ozanne. Evan Peters followed with a sacrifice bunt before the speedy Ozanne stole third, his fifth stolen base of the year. Medica took advantage of the opportunity, grounding a ball to second base to plate the run on the productive out.

The Lions got on the board in the second inning, scoring a pair of runs, including one unearned. Lowenstein extended his hitting streak to 15 straight games with a single to start the second inning. After a pair of outs left a runner at first base with two down, LMU mounted a bit of a rally. Guthrie singled to put runners at the corners before Shon Roe followed with the same fate to drive in the run. Jonathan Johnson popped a pitch up to first base on the ensuing play, but the ball was dropped, allowing the second Lion run to score. In a rush to turn first on the dropped pop up, Johnson looked to have injured himself, falling to the dirt before being tagged out on the play to end the threat.

Santa Clara got back to even at two runs in the third inning, benefitting from a Medica Walk and a Klein single through the right side to put runners at the corners. Rieger drove in the run on the ensuing play, lifting a sacrifice fly to right field.

Hawthorne took it upon himself to reclaim the Lion lead in the bottom of the third, driving his second home run of the season over the wall in left centerfield to put the Lions on top, 3-2.

Santa Clara ran itself into three outs at home over the next two innings, including a pair in the fourth inning alone. Lucas Herbst reached on a leadoff single before moving to third on a failed pickoff attempt and a wild pitch. Running on contact with Blake Leyva at bat, Herbst was cut down at the plate on a ground ball to third base. Justin Viele followed with a single through the left side, putting runners at first and second. Ozanne contributed a double to left centerfield on the next play, but the Broncos found themselves in trouble, as both existing runners ended up at third base on the play. The ball was quickly routed to third, where a rundown ensued for an out. Viramontes got out of the inning two pitches later, inducing a grounder to third base from Peters.

Furthering the base-running woes, Santa Clara's Klein recorded a one-out single in the fifth inning and moved to second on a walk. After a wild pitch moved the runners 90 feet, Guthrie and LMU once again cut down the Broncos at the plate. The Lion third baseman fielded a ground ball and delivered a strike to Plaia at the plate who applied the tag. Viramontes once again escaped further danger on the ensuing play, inducing a pop-up from Herbst to end the inning.

After three straight scoreless frames, LMU got back to business with two runs in the sixth inning to run the tally to 5-2. Lowenstein drew a walk before Jason Barmasse doubled off the wall in left field. After fielding the ball off the wall in left, Medica overthrew his cutoff man, allowing Lowenstein to scamper home without a throw. Sean McIntyre contributed his first collegiate RBI on the next play, lining a RBI-single into the left centerfield gap to chase home Barmasse.

The Broncos chased Viramontes and cut the deficit to one run at 5-4 with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. Peters doubled to left field before a hit-by-pitch and a walk loaded the bases with nobody out. Santa Clara traded a pair of outs on back-to-back ground balls to plate both runs before Viramontes issued a walk to end his day on the mound. Eusebio took over and promptly induced a ground ball to second base to end the threat and maintain a one-run cushion.

LMU posted five insurance runs over the course of the final two frames, scoring once in the seventh and four more in the eighth. A Johnson hit-by-pitch and a sacrifice bunt set the table for a single from Hawthorne to put runners at the corners in the seventh. Matt Koch followed by laying down the safety squeeze, driving in the run from third. After loading the bases in the eighth on singles from McIntyre and Guthrie, and an error on a bunt attempt from Roe, Plaia cleared the bases with a three-RBI triple into the right field corner. Hawthorne drove in Plaia and the final Lion run on the ensuing play, lifting a sacrifice fly to centerfield to push the lead to 10-4.

Santa Clara refused to surrender without a fight, putting the first four hitters aboard in the ninth via hit. Klein contributed a RBI-double before Rieger plated the second and final run of the game with a single through the right side. Fortunately for the Lions, Eusebio settled down nicely from there, retiring the side to earn his sixth save of the year.

The Lions will conclude the three-game series tomorrow with Santa Clara as the two teams meet on Senior Day. First pitch is slated for 1:10 p.m. as the Senior Day ceremony is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.