March 4, 2011

Box Score Quinnipiac Box Score
FIU Box Score

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The first day of the USF Under Armour Invitational turned out to be a low-scoring one for LMU, who dropped both of its contests Friday in Clearwater, Fla. The Lions (6-10) opened play with a 5-1 defeat at the hands of Quinnipiac (5-5) before falling to Florida International (8-8)'s walk-off 1-0 win.

Quinnipiac 5, LMU 1
Coming off a Thursday exhibition win against the national team of the Netherlands, the Lions could not get the bats going against Quinnipiac (4-4), being held to three hits by Heather Schwartzburg (2-2) despite leaving seven runners on base.

It was the Lions who had the chance to strike first as an error and a single by senior Amy Charpentier put runners on the corners without anyone out in the top of the first. Yet, Schwartzburg struck out juniors Sam Fischer and Kelly Sarginson, LMU's leading RBI producers, and got sophomore Olivia Alvarez to pop up to end the inning.

Quinnipiac took the lead with a three-run second behind a two-run single from Mina Duffy, who would later come home on Lauren Salgado's single down the left-field line. In the next inning, LMU's leadoff runner again reached on an error and was sacrificed into scoring position but would be stranded at second as Schwartzburg again got the better of Fischer and Sarginson.

LMU broke through in the fourth when the Bobcats' third error of the contest allowed freshman Meghan Harman to reach with one out. Two batters later, senior Jennifer Nayudu doubled to right to put runners on second and third and a passed ball allowed Harman to scamper home and cut it to 3-1. The threat would end there as freshman Samantha Nelson flew out to left and Quinnipiac tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the fifth.

Florida International 1, LMU 0
The Lions turned right around to take the field against FIU, hoping for a little more action out of its offense. Instead, it was a classic pitcher's duel as freshman Stevie Goldstein and Ashley McClain matched zeroes through the first 6 1/2 innings before the Golden Panthers broke through with a the game's only run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to hand the Lions their second 1-0 defeat of the year.

The Lions more than doubled their hit total (seven) from the first game and had at least one runner on in six of the seven innings, including the leadoff batter in the second, fourth, and fifth. LMU's best opportunity came in that fifth inning, when junior Kylie Ahlo led off the frame with a single and was sacrificed to second. Nayudu followed with a single to center but Ahlo was unable to score, halting at third. McClain would get out of the inning by getting Harman to ground out and Charpentier to pop up.

FIU had a chance of its own in the fifth when Megan Home led off with a single and went to second on a sacrifice. With two outs, Jessy Alfonso singled to left and Home was waved around. Ahlo came up throwing, though, and gunned down Home at the plate to keep the game scoreless.

The winning run came in the Golden Panthers' final at-bat when Jackie Tetlow and Rachel Slowik both singled with one out. After Goldstein got Erika Arcuri to pop up for out number two, Alfonso delivered the game-winning hit with a single to center that brought in Home.

Goldstein (0-2) went the distance for her first career complete game, finishing off a nine-hitter that included a walk and a strikeout. Fischer bounced back from her earlier hitless outing with a 2-for-3 effort, her team-leading fifth multi-hit game of the year. Ahlo also had two hits.

McClain (4-2) gained the shutout victory with a seven-hitter. She also added a pair of hits at the plate, as did Tetlow and Alfonso.

LMU continues its weekend play at the Under Armour Invitational on Saturday when it takes on hosts South Florida at 9:30 a.m. and Western Michigan at 2:30 p.m. (both times Pacific).