May 22, 2011

Box Score

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Sophomore Aaron Griffin threw 107 pitches over 10 innings on Sunday at LMU's Page Stadium en route to his second consecutive complete-game victory as LMU (27-24, 8-10) "walked-off" with a 3-2 win over Portland (21-29, 8-10) in the bottom of the 10th. For Griffin, the complete game was the third of his career. The 10 innings is the most tossed by a Lion since at least 1999, as game-by-game records are incomplete prior to that season. LMU earned the victory in the 10th after Joe Vierra connected on a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded and one out. Despite going to extra innings, the game took just 2:07.

Over the course of the 10 frames, Griffin allowed seven hits and two runs while not walking a batter en route to improving to 7-3. The right-hander struck out five hitters and needed just the 107 pitches to get through 10. His pitch count sat at just 97 through nine innings. Griffin entered the game having thrown 14.1 consecutive scoreless innings, but that streak ended at 15.1. Griffin has now allowed just two runs over his last 24.1 innings of work.

Junior Matt Koch had a stellar day at the plate for LMU, finishing 4-for-5 with a run scored, a double and a triple. He fell just a home run shy of the cycle, and had a crucial single to load the bases and set the table for the game-winning sacrifice fly from Vierra.

Chris Johnson got the start for Portland, lasting seven and a third innings and allowing two runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out three. After Chris Dennis dealt an inning and two-thirds scoreless, Brent Miller allowed the game-winner in the 10th after recording just two outs, walking one and hitting a batter. With the loss, Miller fell to 4-3.

Turner Gill and Riley Henricks accounted for five of Portland's seven hits off of Griffin, as Gill went 3-for-4 with a run scored and Henricks went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run.

For the third time in as many games, Portland got on the board first, plating a run in the top of the second inning on a home run from Henricks. The right-handed hitter connected on a 1-1 pitch to open the frame, belting it over the wall in left-centerfield for his fifth home run of the year.

The Pilots extended the lead to 2-0 in the fourth inning, receiving a clutch two-out RBI-single from Brian Frattali. Gill led things off with a bunt single before a double one out later put runners at second and third. Griffin nearly escaped the damage by striking out the next hitter, but Frattali lined a one-hopper off of Alex Guthrie's glove at third base for an infield single to bring home the run. Griffin limited the damage from there, punching-out Kris Kauppila to end the inning.

LMU managed to cut the deficit to one run in the fourth inning when Koch manufactured a run of his own. The native of Manhattan Beach, Calif. led things off with his second career triple, and came around to score on the same play when the relay through to third skipped past the bag and into the Lion dugout. The run became earned on the ensuing play when Vierra grounded a single back up the middle, but LMU could not muster any further offense in the frame, leaving the tally at 2-1.

The Lions got back to even at two in the fifth when Colton Plaia led things off with a double off of Mikos Blue Monster in left field. Plaia was subsequently sacrificed to third on a beautiful bunt from Evan Simonitsch on the ensuing play, setting the table for a RBI-single into centerfield from Jonathan Johnson to knot the score.

After playing scoreless with Portland for the next four innings, LMU improved its record to 2-2 in extra-inning affairs this year with a walk-off 3-2 victory in the 10th. Miller struck out Simonitsch to start the inning, but proceeded to hit Johnson and walk Zac Fujimoto to put a pair of runners aboard. Koch followed with a liner to left field to load the bases before Vierra drifted a fly ball to centerfield that proved deep enough to score the speedy Johnson from third base.

The Lions return to action on Tuesday when they travel to UC Santa Barbara for a game at 3 p.m.