March 5, 2011

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CLEARWATER, Fla. - Freshman Kathryn Dutton's first career grand slam highlighted LMU's second day of play at the USF Under Armour Invitational on Saturday in Clearwater, Fla. Dutton went deep in the morning game to help lift the Lions to an 11-4 victory over hosts South Florida but the day would end in a split when Western Michigan upended LMU 4-3 in the afternoon.

LMU 11, South Florida 4
The Lions (7-11) bounced back from a rough day at the plate on Friday by exploding for a season-high in runs with an 11-run outburst against the Bulls (10-9). Nine different Lions had at least one hit, including two each from Dutton and junior Kelly Sarginson, with Dutton's grand slam highlighting a five-run seventh that blew the game open.

For the second straight day, the Lions made noise in the first as sophomore Danielle Smith reached on an error to lead off the game and went to third on senior Amy Charpentier's double. In a similar position on Friday against Quinnipiac, LMU's 3-4 hitters - juniors Sam Fischer and Sarginson - had been unable to produce but they came through this time. Fischer's sacrifice fly scored Smith and Sarginson followed with a single up the middle for a 2-0 lead.

Janine Richardson's run-scoring triple helped USF cut the lead in half in the first and the teams traded runs in the third before LMU began to pull away thanks to a three-run fifth, scoring all their runs with two outs. Smith again got things going, reaching on a leadoff bunt single and being sacrificed to second by Charpentier. After Fischer struck out, Sarginson was intentionally walked but the Lions perfectly executed a double steal to put both runners in scoring position. Smith would come home on junior Kylie Ahlo's single and for pinch hitting freshman Meghan Harman followed with a two-run double to left to make it 6-2.

USF would again answer with a run of its own in the bottom of the frame to put some pressure on the Lions but the five-run seventh put the game away. With one out, Fischer walked and Sarginson both walked, with Fischer coming home on sophomore Olivia Alvarez's pinch-hit single. With two outs, sophomore Skylar Segura kept the inning alive with an infield single that loaded the bases and brought up Dutton. After driving in only two runs in her first 14 games, the freshman tripled her RBI number with one swing, putting the Lions up 11-3.

Sophomore Molly Medeiros improved to 4-2 with the complete-game win, allowing four runs (two earned) on five hits. She struck out four and walked two in going the distance for the third time this season.

Smith was a catalyst at the top of the LMU lineup, scoring three times after reaching on a hit and a pair of errors. Sarginson reach in all four of her plate appearances on two hits and two walks and Dutton posted both a career-high for hits and RBI.

Capri Catalano (1-4) suffered the loss, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits in 2 1/3 innings.

Western Michigan 4, LMU 3
It would be a tighter affair in the afternoon as LMU fell to 2-4 in one-run games this year when Western Michigan (3-9) used a three-run third inning to pull ahead and then hold off LMU's late rally.

The Lions used small-ball to take a 1-0 lead in the first. Smith walked, was sacrificed to second, went to third on a passed ball, then came home with the game's first run on Fischer's team-leading third sacrifice of the year.

The lead would be short-lived, however, as the Broncos loaded the bases in the second on sophomore Dana Waldusky (), who struggled with wildness. In the inning, Waldusky walked a batter, hit a batter, and uncorked two wild pitches, one of which scored a run, before being replaced by junior Corie Goodman.

WMU took the lead for good in the third when Courtney Rousseau drew a leadoff walk, stole second, was sacrificed to third, and came home on Gracie Barstad's single up the middle. Tara Buchanan then dealt the biggest blow with a two-run homer for a 4-1 lead.

LMU nearly erased that deficit in its very next at-bat but could not capitalize on a bases loaded situation. After senior Jennifer Nayudu reached on an error, Fischer doubled her home to make it 4-2. Sarginson kept the inning alive with a single and Alvarez walked but the rally fizzled when Harman ended the inning with a fly out to center.

That would be the end of the scoring action as both teams went quietly until LMU's bottom of the seventh. An error allowed freshman Samantha Nelson to reach and a pair of passed balls moved her to third. Nayudu cut the lead to 4-3 by knocking her in with a groundout but that would be it as Kayla Houston closed out her complete game four-hitter.

Waldusky, Goodman, and Medeiros combined on a six-hitter for the Lions, who close out their weekend on Sunday with a 6:30 a.m. (Pacific) first pitch against Arkansas.