RENO, Nev., -- The Loyola Marymount softball team has advanced to the NISC Regional Championship after beating Fresno State 8-5 on Friday evening.
"I really liked how our team responded today," said head coach
Sami Strinz-Ward. "We got our bats going and we were relentless at the plate. Our pitchers are doing their job as well. Very nice team effort today."
Friday's game was an elimination game for both LMU and Fresno State, as both teams went into the game with one loss in the double-elimination tournament.
Both teams went scoreless in the first two innings, while the Lions had two hits in the second. It wasn't until the third inning that the Lions made some noise.
Molly Grumbo set the tone when she hit a single, and then advanced to second base after
Maddison Flores hit a sacrifice bunt. Grumbo advanced home after
Irma Sanchez hit a single to left center, putting the Lions on the board.
Delanie Wisz hit a single to left field, advancing Sanchez to second. With a runner on first and second,
Megan Dedrick hit her first homerun of the season, while collecting three RBIs.
Fresno State answered back in the bottom of the third, scoring four runs to tie things up.
Neither team scored in the fourth inning. The Lions took the lead back in the top of the fifth, scoring two more runs.
Sanchez was first on base in the fifth after hitting a double to left center, which was followed by a walk from Wisz. Dedrick walked, which advanced Wisz to second and Sanchez to third.
With bases loaded,
Riley Ehlen hit a single up the middle to give Sanchez a run. With
Andrea Gonzalez up to bat, all of the runners advanced on a wild pitch, while Wisz advanced home to score, giving the Lions a 6-4 lead.
The Bulldogs answered back in the bottom of the fifth inning with one run, but it wasn't enough to tie things back up.
Both teams went scoreless in the sixth. The Lions picked their momentum back up in the top of the seventh.
Dedrick was first on base in the seventh after hitting a single up the middle, she advanced after a sacrifice bunt from Ehlen.
With Dedrick on second, Ginzalez reached first on a fielding error, and then advanced to second on the throw, sending Dedrick home.
Desiree Moreno reached first on a fielding error, giving Gonzalez the run. Fresno State wasn't able to answer back, giving the Lions an 8-5 lead and eliminating the Bulldogs from the NISC Regional Championship.
The Lions had 13 hits compared to Fresno State's nine. Wisz and Dedrick both went 2-3 at the plate. Grumbo went 2-4,
Sierra Marshall went 1-2, while Ehlen went 1-3.
Hannah Bandimere (18-11) has started in all three games for the Lions this week. The senior pitched four innings, allowing six hits and four runs. She only had one walk and had one strikeout.
Samantha Manti came in for the last 3.0 innings for the save, her second of the season. Manti allowed three hits and one run. She only had one walk and compiled three strikeouts.
The Lions' win advances the team to the NISC Regional Championship on Saturday, where the team will take on University of Nevada. Nevada has gone undefeated in the tournament, which includes their first win of the tournament, which was against the Lions, where LMU fell 4-3.
If the Lions win Saturday's game, it will force a second for regional championship. The game will start on Saturday at noon, with second game starting at 3:30, if necessary.
