HAWAI’I 8, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 0 (6 INNINGS)
LOS ANGELES - Sophomore Sam Fischer collected two hits to extend her hitting streak to six games but LMU dropped its home opener, 8-0 to Hawai'i in six innings Tuesday afternoon at Smith Field. The Lions (2-4) stayed close with the Rainbow Wahine (8-3) before Hawai'i pulled away with six runs in the final two innings for the win.
Making her second career start, freshman Molly Medeiros (0-2) went toe-to-toe with the high-scoring UH offense, who entered the contest having put up double figures in runs in four of its last five games. Things started well for Medeiros as she retired the first two batters of the game but a two-out single by Melissa Gonzalez kept the inning alive and Medeiros hung a 3-2 change-up to Amanda Tuali'i, who smacked a two-run homer over the fence in center to put the visitors on the board.
After that, Medeiros settled down, holding the Rainbow Wahine off the board until the fifth. In the meantime, LMU looked to make some noise in the fourth. Fischer led off the frame with her second single of the contest and a hit batter and wild pitch put runners on second and third with one out. UH starter Stephanie Ricketts settled down, though, striking out junior Priscilla Satete swinging and then getting junior Brittany Pereda looking to end the threat.
That would be the turning point of the game as UH broke it open with a five-run fifth. Tauali'i's RBI single extended the lead and back-to-back two-run hits by Jessica Iwata and Traci Yoshikawa made it 7-0. Kelly Majam added a solo homer in the sixth to round out the scoring.
Medeiros allowed eight runs on 11 hits in five innings while striking out two and walking one. Freshman Erica Grady pitched an inning of one-hit relief. Ricketts (3-3) picked up the win, giving up six hits in six innings.
Fischer's 2-for-3 effort was her second multiple-hit game of the season and 20th of her career. Senior J.J. Hartung also kept her six-game hitting streak alive with a 1-for-3 effort and sophomore Kelly Sarginson was 1-for-2 to hit safely in her fifth consecutive contest.
Gonzalez was 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored for Hawai'i, who also got two hits from Majam and a 2-for-4, three-RBI day from Tuali'i. Iwata also finished 2-for-4 and drove in a pair.
LMU is off until the DeMarini Invitational March 5-7 at Cal State Fullerton, where they will face two nationally-ranked teams. The Lions will play UC Davis in Friday's opener, then face Oregon State and #11 Florida on Saturday. The tournament concludes Sunday against 23rd-ranked North Carolina.