LAKE ELSINORE – The Loyola Marymount softball team split on its first day of the Golden State 27 Tournament in Lake Elsinore, Calif., on Friday afternoon, as the Lions beat Sacramento State 6-4 and fell to UC Davis 12-11.
LMU kicked off the tournament against Sacramento State, where the Hornets put the first run on the board in the top of the second. The Lions responded in the bottom of the third with five runs, starting with a single from
Riley Ehlen, who then advanced to second after a single from
Amanda Treatch.
Molly Grumbo hit a single, advancing Ehlen home and Treatch to third.
Desiree Moreno hit a single, which sent Treatch home, giving the Lions a 2-1 lead.
Peyton Angulo hit a single, which sent Grumbo home. With bases loaded after
Megan Dedrick was walked,
Andrea Gonzalez hit a single, which gave her two RBIs after Angulo and Moreno scored, giving the Lions a 5-1 lead.
The Hornets responded in the top of fourth, but went scoreless for the remainder of the game. Ehlen hit a homerun in the bottom of the sixth, closing out the game for the Lions with a 6-4 lead.
Grumbo went 3-4 at the plate, while Treatch went 3-3. Angulo and Ehlen both went 2-3. The Lions had 12 total hits, compared to the Hornet's 10.
Brittany Steenbergen pitched 3.0 innings and allowed five hits and four runs.
Mallory Eckroth picked up her first win as a Lion after pitching 1.0 innings and allowing four hits and zero runs.
Linnay Wilson earned her second save of the season, as she pitched 3.0 innings and allowed only one hit and zero runs.
LMU went on a scoring run against UC Davis, but it wasn't enough to beat the Aggies. UC Davis put the first two runs on the board in the bottom of the first, LMU responded with three runs in the second inning, after Angulo and Dedrick were walked, Gonzalez hit a homerun, collecting three RBIs.
Morgan Deboard put the fourth run on the board for the Lions after Dedrick reached first on an error.
The Lions continued their momentum in the fifth inning, going on a five-run scoring run, starting with a homerun from Grumbo. With Debord on first after hitting a single, Moreno hit a homerun, adding two runs for the Lions.
Dedrick hit a triple, and then Gonzalez hit another homerun, giving the Lions a 9-6 lead to close out the fifth. The Aggies responded with five runs in the bottom of the fifth to take an 11-9 lead.
The Lions tied things back up in the top of the sixth, starting with Grumbo, who scored after Angulo hit a single, and then Angulo scored after
Allisha Martinez hit a single.
Tied at 11-11 in the bottom of the seventh, the Aggies put one more run on the board to close out the game with a 12-11 win.
Martinez went 2-2 at the plate, while Moreno went 3-4 and Grumbo went 3-5. The Lions had 13 total hits, compared to the Aggies' 14.
Paulina Johnson, Eckroth,
Caroline Bridges and Wilson pitched for the Lions. Wilson took the loss, after pitching 2.0 innings, giving up four hits and five runs.
The Lions will be back in action on Saturday to take on Seaton Hall and Long Island University.
