LOS ANGELES – The Loyola Marymount Univeristy softball team split on day two of the Titan Classic, as the team beat Middle Tennessee 5-4 and lost to Utah State 7-4.
The Lions kicked off day two of the tournament against Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders put the first two runs on the board in the first inning, while the Lions went scoreless.
LMU responded in the bottom of the third, as
Molly Grumbo hit a single to the left side, and then Morgan Debord reached first on an error, and then advanced to second on an error by the shortstop, sending Grumbo home.
The Lions continued their momentum in the bottom of the fourth, which was opened up with a walk by
Desiree Moreno, and then
Amanda Treatch came in to pinch run.
Megan Dedrick hit a single down the left field line, and then advanced to second after an error, advancing Treatch to second and then third on a passed ball.
Allisha Martinez reached on a fielder's choice, advancing Dedrick to third and sending Treatch home.
Ehlen added two more RBIs to her weekend when she singled to center field, sending Martinez and Dedrick home, giving the Lions a 4-2 lead over the Blue Raiders.
Middle Tennessee responded with one run in the fifth, but the Lions came back and scored another run in the bottom of the fifth after Debord singled to center field, and then stole second, and then advanced to third after Moreno singled to right field. Dedrick singled to right field, sending Debord home.
The Blue Raiders scored one run in the top of the seventh, but it wasn't enough to beat the Lions, giving LMU its second win of the tournament.
Moreno went 2-2 at the plate, while Dedrick went 2-3 and Grumbo went 2-4. The Lions had eight total hits, compared to Middle Tennessee's seven.
Mallory Eckroth pitched 3.2 innings, allowing four hits and two runs. Brittany Steenbergen earned her first win as a Lion, as she pitched 1.1 innings, allowing two hits and one run.
Linnay Wilson came in to pitch two innings, allowing one hit and one run, earning the save.
The Lions battled in their second game of the day against Utah State. Both teams went quietly until the Lions scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the third, when Grumbo hit a homerun to open the inning.
Utah State responded in the top of the fifth, putting up seven runs. In the bottom of the fifth, Ehlen reached first on an error by the shortstop, and then advanced to second on the throw. A groundout from
Paris Nguyen advanced Ehlen to third, and then a fly out from Grumbo sent her home, making it a 7-2 game.
The Lions were able to add to more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Moreno hit a single, and
Nicole Norman came in too pinch run. A single from Dedrick advanced Norman to second, and a double from Ehlen send Norman and Dedrick home.
Neither team scored in the seventh, giving the Lions a 7-4 loss, their first of the weekend. Ehlen, Moreno and Grumbo all went 1-3 at the plate. Both teams had five total hits.
Paulina Johnson pitched 4.0 innings, allowing three hits and two runs, resulting in a loss for the pitcher.
Caroline Bridges and Eckroth both pitched under one inning. Wilson pitched 2.1 innings, and did not allow any hits or runs and had four strikeouts.
The Lions will be back in action tomorrow to take on UC Riverside at noon, and Cal State Fullerton at 2:30 PM.
