April 17, 2011

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - LMU came away from its first road series of the Pacific Coast Softball Conference season with a four-game sweep at Santa Clara, scoring all of its runs with two outs to remain in first place in the PCSC standings by taking both ends of Sunday's doubleheader. In game one, the Lions (23-21, 7-1 PCSC) earned the series win with a 7-3 victory as freshman Kathryn Dutton homered for the third straight game and senior Sam Fischer passed the 100 career-RBI mark. In game two, LMU rallied for a 4-1 victory with a four-run sixth inning to complete the sweep against the Broncos (6-19, 2-6 PCSC).

LMU 7, Santa Clara 3
Fischer became the seventh player in LMU history to reach 100 career RBI and moved within one home run of the all-time PCSC record as she and Dutton both hit two-run homers in LMU's four-run fourth inning to lift the Lions to the win. LMU scored the game's first seven runs, all with two outs, then shut the door on the Broncos' late rally attempt.

The Lions jumped on top with a single run in the second, two in the third, and four in the fourth. Senior Jennifer Nayudu's infield single got the Lions on the board in the second as freshman Meghan Harman took advantage of reaching on a Bronco error to score with two outs.

Another Bronco error enabled LMU to increase its lead in the third. Again, the miscue came off the bat of Harman, who reached with two outs and brought home senior Amy Charpentier, who had led off the inning with a double. Sophomore Olivia Alvarez then made it 3-0 with an RBI single.

Fischer and Dutton blew the doors wide open in the fourth, going deep two batters apart with a pair of two-out, two-run homers. After Charpentier drew a two-out walk, Fischer smacked her 10th home run of the season to centerfield, thereby becoming just the second player in LMU history to record three straight seasons of double-digit homers. Fischer joins Danielle Kaminaka (2003-05) as the only two players to achieve that feat while she also pulls within one round-tripper of Kaminaka's PCSC record of 38 career homers.

The Lions weren't done, however, and after junior Kelly Sarginson drew her third walk of the game, Dutton went deep for the third consecutive outing, poking a two-run shot over the left-field fence to increase LMU's advantage to 7-0.

Junior Corie Goodman (1-4) picked up her first victory of the season with five strong innings of five-hit ball. She held the Broncos off the board until a pair of Lion errors opened the door for three unearned runs in the fifth and sixth but sophomore Molly Medeiros came in to halt the rally, allowing one hit over two innings for her second save of the season.

Fischer went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and a run scored while senior Jennifer Nayudu also had a two-hit performance. Sarginson reached the three times on walks, coming around to score twice.

LMU 4, Santa Clara 1
LMU managed to accomplish what had escaped them last weekend - a four-game sweep - although it required a four-run rally, again with two outs, in the bottom of the sixth to get there. Trailing 1-0, sophomore Danielle Smith and Charpentier led off the sixth with back-to-back singles and Fischer's RBI groundout brought Smith home with the tying run. After Sarginson flew out for the inning's second out, Dutton provided a clutch RBI single to left-center that put LMU ahead. Harman then drew a walk and Alvarez reached on an error to load the bases for junior Kylie Ahlo, who singled up the middle to bring home two runs and provide the Lions with some cushion.

Medeiros (11-5) won her fifth straight start, limiting Santa Clara to a single run on four hits in her 11th complete game. The only blemish on her afternoon came in the fourth, when a double, groundout, and sacrifice fly gave the Broncos the lead. LMU made the most of its five hits, getting a two-hit outing from Charpentier.

At 7-1, the Lions are in a tie with San Diego atop the PCSC Coastal Division standings with three series left to play. Next weekend, LMU travels to Cal State Bakersfield for its second straight road series but also the final road trip of the 2011 regular season. Due to the Easter Holiday, the Lions and Roadrunners will play noon doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday.