March 6, 2011

Box Score

CLEARWATER, Fla. - LMU rallied to tie the game in its final at-bat but Arkansas scored three times in extra innings for a 5-2 victory in the finale Sunday of the USF Under Armour Invitational in Clearwater, Fla. After opening the season with 19 straight road games, the Lions (7-12) get to return home for the next nine following a full week off.

Trailing 2-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh but pushed across a pair of runs to send the contest into extras. It was the bottom of the lineup that got things going as sophomore Olivia Alvarez and freshman Meghan Harman, who each had two hits on the day, led off with singles to chase Razorback starter Kim Jones. On came Hope McLemore to face junior Kylie Ahlo, who moved the runners to second and third with a sacrifice bunt for the inning's first out. McLemore seemed to be on her way to the save when sophomore Danielle Smith grounded out to third but senior Amy Charpentier came through in the clutch, tying the game with a two-out double into the left-centerfield gap. With Charpentier now representing the winning run on second, the Lions had a chance to end things in regulation but McLemore struck out junior Sam Fischer and LMU was heading to extra innings for the first time this season.

With the international tiebreaker in effect, the Razorbacks (9-11) opened the top of the eighth with a runner on second but it did not matter as the first batter, Becca Carden, homered to left to restore the two-run advantage. Two singles and a hit batter brought in a third run of the frame and it might have been more if not for Smith throwing out a runner at home. Despite the heart of the order coming to bat in the LMU half, the Lions could not answer against McLemore (3-4), who picked up the win with two innings of one-hit relief.

Freshman Stevie Goldstein continues to pitch well but has yet to have a win to show for it, falling to 0-3 on the year. After allowing single runs in the first and third innings, Goldstein blanked Arkansas for the next four while repeatedly pitching out of jams as she forced the Razorbacks into stranding 11 runners. Only three of the five runs she allowed were earned as she gave up 12 hits and a walk while striking out six in her first career complete game.

Alvarez and Harman were both 2-for-3 with a run scored while Charpentier drove in her fourth and fifth RBI of the year, and 50th RBI of her career, with the game-tying double.

LMU will take a nine-day break from action before hosting the Marina International Hotel Showcase, its first home appearance of the 2011 season. The tournament will feature eight teams and 20 games played over a six-day period from March 15-20.