April 9, 2008

Box Score

FULLERTON, CA - Three Loyola Marymount players finished with two hits on the night and starter Tiffany Pagano struck out six in the complete-game effort as the visiting Lions defeated Cal State Fullerton, 7-3, on Wednesday night at Anderson Family Field.

The Titans fell to 18-20-1 overall with the loss, dropping their second straight. LMU improved to 26-14 overall, snapping a two-game losing streak.

Junior Lauren Lupinetti finished 2-for-3 on the night with a double and her team-high fifth home run of the season. Three other Titans finished with hits as Pagano (16-7) held the Fullerton bats to just five base knocks on the night.

Cal State Fullerton got on the board first in the second inning, taking advantage of an error to plate the game's first run. Lupinetti's double led off the inning and she moved to third on Jenna Wheeler's single back up the middle.

After a strikeout for our number two, Wheeler took off for second base and got caught in a rundown on the basepaths. However, as she was trying to make her way back to first, the throw got away from the Lions' first baseman, allowing Wheeler to move to second and giving Lupinetti enough time to scamper home for the 1-0 lead.

The score remained that way until the fourth when the Lions struck for three runs to take the lead for good. A double by Chelsie Tysdal tied the game and a sacrifice fly by Megan Ackerman, who finished 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, produced the go-ahead run to make it 2-1. Priscilla Satete later chopped a single down the left field line to drive home Tysdal and make it 3-1.

Fullerton responded with a run in its half of the fourth, loading the bases with one out. After a fielder's choice ground ball made it two outs in the inning, freshman Sammie Dabbs hit a slow roller in the hole at short, beating out a throw and driving home K.C. Craddick to close the gap to 3-2.

However, Loyola Marymount extended its advantage with two runs each in the fifth and sixth innings as an error on Darcy Pagnini's single drove home a pair in the fifth and Amy Charpentier added a two-run single in the sixth to cap the Lions' scoring.

Lupinetti got one of the runs back in the sixth, leading off the inning by taking a full-count offering from Pagano over the wall in left to make it 7-3.

Pagano allowed two earned and walked three in earning the victory while Fullerton freshman Christine Hiner (9-10) suffered the loss, allowing six earned on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. Freshman Ari Cervantes pitched the final 1 1/3 innings, allowing just a single hit in relief.

Cal State Fullerton returns to the field this weekend as the Titans host Big West Conference rival UC Davis for a three-game series at Anderson Family Field. Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's single-game finale both begin at 12 p.m.