April 30, 2011

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

LOS ANGELES - Juniors Sam Fischer and Kelly Sarginson each broke Pacific Coast Softball Conference home run records to help LMU to a Saturday doubleheader sweep of Cal State Bakersfield to start the teams' Pacific Coast Softball Conference series on Saturday at Smith Field. Fischer's solo home run in game one made her the conference's career home run leader with the 39th of her career while Sarginson became the first player in PCSC history to hit three homers in one game in game two. However, it took Fischer's second home run of the day, a two-run walk-off shot in the second game to lift the Lions (26-25, 11-4 PCSC) to the 1-0 and 10-9 wins over the Roadrunners (15-31, 3-11 PCSC).

The long-ball has always been a part of Head Coach Gary Ferrin's game plan at LMU and the long-ball is what led the Lions to victory on Saturday as they scored all 11 of their runs off of six home runs: three by Sarginson, two by Fischer, and one by freshman Meghan Harman. Fischer's solo shot in the first inning proved the difference in game one and broke Danielle Kaminaka's conference record of 38 home runs. She wasn't done, however, upstaging Sarginson's three-HR, seven-RBI outing in game two with a two-run walk-off home run as the Lions ran their winning streak to eight games over the Roadrunners. Sarginson's monster day tied Fischer's year-old PCSC single-season home run record of 16 while also moving her into a tie for Chelsie Tysdal's 2008 single-season school RBI mark of 50. In doing so, she became the eighth player in school history to reach 100 career RBI and her 29 career homers are now tied for fourth all-time at LMU.

LMU 1, Cal State Bakersfield 0
Fischer's record-breaking solo home run in the first was all that the Lions needed as sophomore Molly Medeiros tossed her third shutout of the season, a seven-hitter. It was LMU's first 1-0 win since beating Portland State on April 27, 2008.

Fischer entered the game tied with Kaminaka (2003-05) for the PCSC career home run record but made short work of passing the former Lion great. Fischer smacked the first pitch she saw from Sammy Rodriguez in the first inning way over the netting that guards the tennis courts in leftfield for her 39th career home run and a 1-0 Lion lead.

Medeiros would make that home run stand up as she stranded nine runners in her 14th complete game of the season. She improved to 12-7 by striking out five and walking one in the seven-hitter. Fischer, sophomore Danielle Smith, and senior Jennifer Nayudu accounted for the Lions' hits.

Rodriguez (7-15) was the hard-luck loser, scattering three hits over her complete game. She struck out three and walked one.

LMU's defense came to the rescue in the CSUB fourth when Nayudu's diving catch led to an inning-ending double play. After Emily Bliss singled with one out, Ryane Peterson sent a sinking line drive to right. Nayudu dove to catch it but had the ball pop out of her glove as she stood up. The umpires ruled it a catch, though, and Nayudu easily doubled up Bliss at first.

The Roadrunners threatened again in the fifth, only for Medeiros to pitch her way out of the jam. Singles by Stefanie Frei and Jamie Miller put two on with one out but Medeiros got Karissa Veiga to groundout and Jazmine Lee to line out to leave runners on second and third. CSUB would put the tying run on in the seventh on Veiga's two-out single but Medeiros struck out Lee on a called third strike to end the game.

LMU 10, Cal State Bakersfield 9
For as much as the first game was a pitcher's duel, the second was all about the offense as the teams combined for 19 runs on 28 hits. Sarginson, who tied three records and set another with a three home run, seven-RBI performance, was the star but Fischer grabbed the limelight with her walk-off two-run homer as LMU overcame deficits of 2-0, 3-2, and 9-8.

Mired in a 3-for-27 slump entering the game, Sarginson went deep in the first, third, and fifth innings to become the first player in PCSC and school history to homer three times in one game while tying the conference and LMU single-game RBI marks. She also tied Fischer's school and PCSC record with her 16th homer of the season and tied current Lion assistant coach Tysdal's school mark of 50 RBI. She drove in all seven of her runs with two outs, giving her 36 two-out RBI this season.

After failing to capitalize on scoring chances in game one, CSUB made sure to come out swinging in game two. Three straight singles to open the game, including a two-run chopper up the middle by Lee, staked the visitors to an early 2-0 lead.

Sarginson would get the Lions right back into the contest by snapping an eight-game homerless drought with a two-run shot to straightaway center. CSUB would regain the lead in the top of the second on three more singles, moving ahead on Jamie Miller's single to right. Sophomore Dana Waldusky would limit the damage by stranding runners on second and third, however, getting Veiga and Lee to end the threat.

A four-run third put the Lions on top thanks to back-to-back homers from Sarginson and Harman. Sarginson was proving that she was locked in, coming up with two runners on and the Lions trailing 3-2. Singles by Smith and junior Kylie Ahlo had set the table for Sarginson, who launched a three-run homer down the leftfield line to put LMU on top, 5-3 and push her career RBI total to 102. Harman followed with her second homer of the week, and fifth of the season, to chase CSUB starter Alyssa Walker.

After CSUB pulled a run back in the fourth, Sarginson came up with a runner on second and two outs in the fifth. With first base open, the Roadrunners elected to pitch to Sarginson, who punished the decision by tying Fischer's single-season record with her third homer of the game over the fence in left for an 8-4 Lion lead.

CSUB would not go away, though, and a five-run sixth put the Roadrunners back on top. Singles by Ryane Petersen and Laura King got the inning started and a sacrifice moved the runners over. A single by Miller brought home Petersen and pulled the visitors back to 8-5 while marking the end of Waldusky's day. Medeiros came on in relief but was greeted by an RBI single from Veiga before giving up a go-ahead three-run homer to Lee. CSUB looked to add to its lead when the next two batters singled, the latter coming when Ahlo lost a pop up in the sun at second. A strange inning got even stranger when Ahlo lost a second ball in the sun but the umpires called the infield fly rule. When the ball dropped, the runners tried to advance but Fischer picked up the loose ball and tagged out the trailing runner for an inning-ending double-play.

LMU stranded a pair of runners in the sixth but that only meant that the heart of the Lions' order would come up in the seventh to face Rodriguez, the third CSUB pitcher of the game. Leading off the inning, Ahlo blooped a single to center that Laura King dove for, only for the ball to pop out of her glove. With Sarginson on-deck eagerly awaiting a chance four a fourth at-bat, Fischer fell behind in the count 1-2 but crushed Rodriguez's next offering over the fence in left for a walk-off win.

Fischer's home run made a winner out of Medeiros (13-7), who allowed two runs on five hits in 1 2/3 innings of relief. Waldusky had given up seven runs on 12 hits over the first 5 1/3 innings. Ahlo and Sarginson each had three hits and scored three times for the Lions.

Rodriguez (7-16) blew the save to take the loss, giving up two runs in the seventh without recording an out. The Roadrunners squandered a 17-hit attack that included three-hit performances from Miller, Veiga, and King, and Lee's five-RBI game.

LMU and Cal State Bakersfield will play another doubleheader starting at noon on Sunday.