Feb. 14, 2009

UIC Box Score

Seattle Box Score

Los Angeles - After being rained out in the second inning of its home opener on Friday, LMU finally took the field Saturday and made the most of it, beating UIC 7-4 and Seattle 5-4 in eight innings on Day Two of the LMU Invitational at Smith Field. The Lions improve to 5-2 on the year and will conclude play at the rain-interrupted tournament on Sunday.

The storm that wiped out the final two scheduled games of Friday gave way to sunny skies Saturday but the field remained wet and the infield muddy. The condition of the field forced Saturday play - which was originally slated to begin at 8 a.m. with the conclusion of LMU vs. Cal State Bakersfield - to be pushed back and the schedule modified. When the Lions finally took the field at 10 a.m., it was against Illinois-Chicago, the team they had been scheduled to face at 2 p.m. on Friday.

LMU broke open a scoreless game with a four-run third. With one out, freshman Sam Fischer blasted her first career home run, a two-run shot to left. Junior Darcy Pagnini followed with a double and senior Chelsie Tysdal walked, chasing UIC starter Ashley Hewett. After a walk to senior Megan Ackerman loaded the bases, junior Christine Foley hit a sacrifice fly. Two more walks in the inning led to LMU's fourth run.

UIC pulled a run back in the third but the Lions tacked on three more in the fourth on Pagnini's RBI double and Tysdal's two-run homer, her fourth of the season, all coming in successive games. The Flames made it interesting with a three-run fifth. Hewett doubled in a pair with a double to right-center and Lisa Abbott knocked her in with a double of her own. But junior Melissa Dykema, on in relief of freshman starter Corie Goodman, recorded the last five outs for the save.

Fischer finished 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored while Tysdal reached in all four of her plate appearances thanks to a 2-for-2 effort with two walks. Goodman (3-2) got the win, pitching 5 1/3 innings in which she gave up four runs on 11 hits. Hewett was tagged with the loss, allowing seven runs on nine hits in five innings.

In game two, freshman Kelly Sarginson collected her first two collegiate hits, both RBI singles, including the walk-off hit with one out in the eighth. Sarginson finished 2-for-4 with two RBI in her first career start as LMU registered its first extra-innings win over the year. Tysdal also stayed hot, knocking in two runs in a 2-for-4 outing.

Tysdal gave LMU a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the first but Seattle tied it with a run of its own in the top of the second before taking a 4-2 lead in the third on Jodie Schmehr's bases-loaded double.

LMU closed the gap with a two-run third. After Fischer doubled with one out, Pagnini singled and Tysdal doubled, bringing home Fischer. Pagnini was thrown out at third on the play but freshman Kelly Sarginson stepped up with an RBI single to plate Tysdal for her first collegiate hit.

The Lions tied the game in the bottom of the sixth when sophomore Amy Charpentier led off with a single, was sacrificed to second, and scored on an error by Schmehr at second. The game remained tied until the eighth when the international tiebreaker went into effect. Seattle failed to score in its half of the inning and LMU was successful in sacrificing the runner, freshman Katrina Bodewig, over to third. That brought up Sarginson, who stroked a single to center to end the game.

Goodman (4-2) was excellent to pick up the win in relief of Dykema, who lasted 3 1/3 innings in which she allowed all four runs on seven hits and five walks. Goodman threw a one-hitter over the final 4 2/3.

Weather permitting, Sunday's schedule will begin at 9 a.m. with UIC vs. Cal State Bakersfield. UIC will remain on the field for a rematch against LMU before the Lions face Seattle in the third game. Should it remain light enough, LMU will try to complete its rain-halted game from Friday vs. Cal State Bakersfield.

- GO LIONS -