LOS ANGELES – the Lions came up just short against No. 7 Arizona Wildcats in a back-and-forth game, falling 7-6 at Smith Field.
The Lions wasted no time getting on the board in the first inning, as
Sydney Poole's single and
Izzy Jamgotchian's base hit set the stage for
Mika Chong, who crushed a three-run homer to give LMU an early 3-0 lead.
Arizona answered in the second, stringing together singles before a two-run double evened the score at 3-3.
LMU regained control in the fourth, fueled by an RBI by
Kealani Caster, a run-scoring grounder from
Analiah Lummus, and an RBI single by
Meeya Johnson, pushing the Lions ahead 6-3.
The Wildcats kept the pressure on, narrowing the gap with a solo home run and an RBI in the fifth to cut LMU's lead to one.
Jessica Hubbard took over in relief for
Lindsay O'Dell in hopes of closing things out, but Arizona capitalized in the seventh, plating two runs to edge ahead 7-6.
The Lions looked poised for a late rally after
Justine Lambert and Poole delivered back-to-back singles in the bottom of the seventh, but Arizona held on to secure the win.
The Lions next game is Friday, Feb. 28, against the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Utah Tech.
