March 21, 2009

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. - LMU (11-12) won both ends of a doubleheader and took the series over No. 24 Fresno State (10-8) with a 7-3 victory over the Bulldogs in the second game of a doubleheader which was played at Page Stadium on Saturday. With the victory, LMU is now 4-0 in games against ranked opponents this season.

Junior Angelo Songco finished 2-for-3 with a double, three RBI and a run scored. Ollie Enos also drove in three runs, batting 1-for-3 with a double. Junior Ryan Wheeler went 1-for-4 with two runs scored in the victory. He has now hit safely in 10 games, batting .364 (16-for-44) with eight runs scored, five doubles, a home run, a walk, two stolen bases and eight RBI.

Freshman Ramiro Carreon pitched five and two-thirds innings, allowing three runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out six batters to earn his first collegiate victory. Freshman Jason Wheeler contributed the next two and a third innings scoreless before Chris Eusebio retired the side in the ninth.

Alan Ahmady, Brennan Gowens, Gavin Hedstrom and Dusty Robinson each collected two hits in the loss for Fresno State. Gowens, Hedstrom and Robinson each joined Tom Mendonca with doubles in the game, while Robinson also collected a triple. Jake Floethe got the start and took the loss, pitching six and a third innings and allowing seven runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks while punching-out five batters. Sean Bonesteele was the only reliever used for the Bulldogs, tossing an inning and two-thirds of scoreless relief.

LMU struck first in the game, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Ryan Hawthorne walked on a 3-2 count to get the ball rolling before a strikeout resulted in the first out of the frame. Wheeler reached on an error charged to Danny Muno at shortstop to put runners at first at second for Songco. Songco answered the call, coming up with the clutch RBI-single to bring home Hawthorne and the first run of the inning. Enos took care of the rest of the offense, doubling down the right field line to plate the final two runs on the very next play.

Fresno State responded for two runs in the top of the second, highlighted by a Mendonca double to start the frame and a Gowens RBI-double two batters later. Another RBI-double, this one by Robinson, pushed the final run across in the inning, cutting the LMU lead to 3-2.

LMU pushed another run across in the fourth inning, leaving the tally at 4-2 after four complete frames. Jonathan Johnson singled with one out before Evan Simonitsch collected a single of his own to put runners at the corners with one out. Hawthorne followed with the RBI, lifting a sacrifice fly into foul territory down the left field line.

Fresno State wasted no time responding in the top of the fifth inning, scoring one run to push the tally to 4-3. Robinson tripled with one out before a walk and a sacrifice fly followed to push the run across. Trent Soares hit the sacrifice fly to pick up the RBI in the inning.

The Lions extended the lead to 7-3 with three more runs in the bottom of the seventh. Simonitsch reached on an error to start the frame before Spraker walked two batters later. After a Wheeler single loaded the bases, Songco pushed two runs across with a ground-rule double to right centerfield. Following a pitching change that put Bonesteele on the hill for Fresno State, Enos drove a ball to deep right field for a sacrifice fly, allowing Wheeler to scamper home with the final run of the inning and the game.

The Lions and Bulldogs will conclude the four-game series at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.