Feb. 24, 2004

Box Score

Los Angeles, CA (Feb 24) - The Loyola Marymount University baseball team came back to defeat No.13 Cal State Fullerton 3-2 in a thriller at Page Stadium. Brady Koch hit a two-out two-run inside-the-park-homerun in the seventh to help LMU win their third straight game.

LMU (5-2) trailed Cal State Fullerton (6-7) 2-1 going to the bottom of the seventh inning when freshmen A.J. LaMonda singled with one out. He was still on first with two out when Koch came to the plate and began a long battle with Titan pitcher Scott Sarver. Koch was given a second chance when first baseman Brett Pill misplayed a foul pop at first base, and he hammered the next pitched he saw to center field. Titan center fielder Danny Dorn froze and then leaped to make the catch, but had the line drive sail over his head and roll all the way to the wall scoring LaMonda with the tying run and eventually Koch with the winning run. "As soon as I hit, I thought the center fielder had it," Koch said. "But I saw it drop over his head and knew it was time to run. I saw Coach Moen waving me in as soon as I hit second."

Junior reliever Gabriel Bueno (1-0) who had come on in the seventh pitched a perfect eighth before giving way to Jeff Stevens who notched his second save in as many chances. For Bueno, it was his first win as a Lion. LMU's bullpen allowed just one run over the final four innings while striking out five.

Will Quaglieri got the start for LMU as was impressive going five innings allowing just one run and scattering seven hits. Quaglieri used an assortment of breaking balls to get out of three tough jams and to strikeout eight batters. He was locked in a pitchers' duel with Lauren Gagnier through five. Trailing 1-0 in the fifth the Lions got on the board and tied the game when Clint McGill scored on a perfectly executed hit and run play as LaMonda doubled down the line in left.

Cal State Fullerton immediately took the lead again in the top of the sixth when left fielder Sergio Pedroza led off with a homerun to center. That's where the game stood until Koch's deciding blow in the seventh.

The Lions will hit the road for thirteen of their next sixteen games and they'll do so by opening up a three game series at San Jose State beginning Friday at 6 p.m. (PST). All three games of the series can be heard live on the Lions Audio Network at www.LMULions.com.

-GO LIONS-