Box Score April 19, 2015 Box Score
The LMU baseball team (24-16, 11-7 WCC) held off Pacific on Sunday to earn a 3-2 victory and a series win over the Tigers (9-29, 6-12 WCC) at Page Stadium. Sophomore Kyle Dozier, who had the game-winning hit on Saturday night, robbed what would have been a game-tying home run off the bat of Brett Sullivan in the top of the eighth to keep the one-run lead intact.
The Lions received a strong start from freshman Sean Watkins as the right-hander dealt 6.2 innings and allowed just two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four. With the victory, Watkins moved to 4-0 on the season.
Senior Tanner Donnels and sophomore Cassidy Brown each contributed a 2-for-3 day with an RBI, while Austin Miller, Dozier and Ted Boeke all scored a run.
After Watkins, LMU went straight to its regular arms out of the pen, summoning Michael Silva for 1.1 innings of scoreless relief before J.D. Busfield closed the door in the ninth. Busfield allowed the potential tying run to reach, but ultimately tossed a scoreless final frame with two strikeouts to convert his 12th save of the year. The 12 saves are one short of the LMU single season record held by Darryl Scott (1988), and his 12 career saves rank tied for fifth all-time.
The Lions jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after three, scoring once in the first and third. Miller led off with a hit-by-pitch before singles from David Fletcher and Donnels drove in the first run of the game. The Lions pieced together a run in the third as Dozier reached with a single before Fletcher bunted him to second. A deep fly ball to left moved Dozier up to third base before a passed ball allowed him to scamper in with the second Lion run of the game.
Both teams traded a run in the fourth, with LMU's run coming in to score on an RBI-single from Brown that chased home Boeke. The Tiger damage in the seventh came with two out as Justin Thaxton singled and came in to score on an RBI-double off the Mikos Blue Monster in left from the bat of Dallas Correa.
Michael Benson, who got the start and allowed three runs (two earned) over six innings for Pacific, was tagged with the loss and fell to 2-3.
LMU will return to action on Tuesday when it hosts Long Beach State at 6 p.m. from Page Stadium.
