Box Score May 12, 2015 Box Score
Senior Chris Barnett picked a great time to collect his first career home run, breaking a 1-1 game with a grand slam in the top of the eighth to hand LMU a 5-1 victory over #22 UC Irvine on Tuesday at UCI's Anteater Ballpark.
The grand slam was Barnett's lone hit of the game, and was the second grand slam of the year for LMU (Jimmy Jack - 2/15 vs. San Jose State).
Tied at one in the eighth, LMU received a leadoff single from Tanner Donnels. David Edwards followed with a sacrifice bunt, and reached on the play when Cole Kreuter was unable to reel in the throw to first. After a sacrifice bunt and a walk loaded the bases, Barnett belted a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left field for the grand slam.
LMU trailed 1-0 all the way to the seventh inning after starter Kevin Glomb hit one and walked three, including one with the bases loaded, over a third of an inning. Tyler Cohen entered with one out and the bases loaded in the first, inducing an inning-ending double play to limit the damage and escape the jam.
The LMU bullpen threw 8.2 scoreless innings of relief, including 3.2 from Cohen, three from Tylor Megill, one from Cory Abbott, and a scoreless ninth from J.D. Busfield. The quartet surrendered just four hits and one walk over the span. Megill was credited with the victory, improving to 6-3 on the season.
While LMU handed UCI the run without a hit in the first, the Anteaters handed the equalizer back under the same guise in the seventh. A one-out walk preceded a hit-by-pitch and a walk to load the bases, setting the table for the second hit batter of the inning, Austin Miller, to force in the tying run.
Miller went 2-for-3 out of the leadoff spot, while Donnels finished 2-for-4.
Sean Sparling, who allowed the leadoff single to Donnels in the eighth, was tagged with the loss and fell to 0-2 after allowing the one run on one hit over two-thirds of an inning. Matt Fielding took over on the hill for Sparling and ultimately gave up the grand slam to Barnett.
LMU will open a crucial three-game West Coast Conference series with San Francisco on Friday at 3 p.m.
