March 22, 2011

Box Score

Highlights and post-game interviews from Lions' All-Access.

LOS ANGELES - Senior Amy Charpentier homered twice and freshman Samantha Nelson hit her first career round-tripper as LMU scored eight unanswered runs to defeat Ohio State 8-2 on Tuesday at Smith Field. The Lions (13-16) have now won four in a row and five of their last six while handing the Buckeyes (7-18) their fourth straight defeat.

After hitting six home runs in three games on Saturday, the Lions added to their PCSC-leading home run total with a season-high three more on Tuesday, although they came from the unlikeliest of sources. Trailing 2-0 in the fourth, Nelson, who had just two extra-base hits in 60 at-bats this season, tied the game with a two-run shot. That set the stage for Charpentier, who had just four career home runs over her first three seasons, to provide the cushion by going deep in both the fifth and sixth innings to record the first two-homer game of her life.

The long-balls supported another fine effort from sophomore Molly Medeiros, who tossed her seventh consecutive complete game to improve to 7-4. Just hours after being named the Pacific Coast Softball Conference Pitcher of the Week, Medeiros allowed two runs on five hits and a walk, holding an opponent to two or fewer earned runs in her 14th straight appearance. The only blemish on Medeiros' day was Megan Coletta's two-run homer to center in the fourth that staked OSU to a 2-0 lead.

Coletta's home run got the Buckeyes on the board but the lead would not last long as junior Kylie Ahlo led off the fourth with a double to left-center. Two batters later, Nelson turned on a pitch and crushed it to left to tie the game.

The Lions would add three runs in each of the next two innings to put things away. Charpentier led off the fifth with a homer to left, marking the end of the day for OSU starter Karisa Medrano. But Brittany Goodchild allowed the first two batters she faced to reach and, after the runners were bunted into scoring position, Goodchild was called for a pair of illegal pitches, bringing in two more runs that made it 5-2.

The Lions jumped on more Ohio State mistakes in the sixth. A walk, sacrifice bunt, passed ball, and throwing error brought home the sixth LMU run but Charpentier made no mistake in making it 8-2, lining a two-run homer to left.

Charpentier finished the game 2-for-3 with three RBI, a walk, and a pair of runs scored. Nelson scored twice and drove in two while reaching in two of her three plate appearances. At the top of the order, sophomore Danielle Smith was 1-for-3 to extend her hitting streak to an LMU season-high 10 games.

LMU closes out its 10-game homestand on Wednesday at 1 p.m. against Canisius.