March 13, 2008

Bucknell-Loyola Marymount Box Score (L, 3-0)

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Tiffany Pagano fired her 13th complete game of the season, striking out 12 and allowing just one Bucknell hit in the process as the Bison dropped a 3-0 decision to Loyola Marymount Thursday afternoon in their first game at the LMU Tournament. Ashley Carlson (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury) recorded the lone hit for Bucknell.

The Bison, who lost for the fifth time in six games, did not advance a baserunner as far as third base against Pagano, who notched her fifth double-digit strikeout performance of the season and improved to 9-4. However, she did walk five Bucknell (3-9) hitters, including Jessie Snyder (Tacoma, Wash./Stadium) three times.

Carlson, who has a team-high eight hits this season, reached in the third inning on an infield single between short and third.

Bison starter Christie Wiest (Centre Hall, Pa./Penns Valley) limited the powerful Loyola Marymount lineup that entered the game hitting better than .330 to single runs in the first, second and fifth innings. No more than five Lion hitters came to the plate in an inning against Wiest, who recorded her sixth complete game of the campaign, but fell to 2-5.

Cleanup hitter Chelsie Tysdal put Loyola Marymount (16-9) up 1-0 with a two-out double in the first. The next inning Megan Ackerman scored on a fielder's choice by J.J. Hartung after a leadoff single. That run was unearned as the Bison committed their only error of the game in that inning.

The score remained 2-0 until a two-out walk followed by a pair of singles scored Loyola Marymount's final run. Christine Foley knocked in Darcy Pagnini to round out the scoring.

Wiest yielded nine hits to the Lions and walked two, but allowed just the three runs, two of which were earned.

Thursday's contest against the host Lions was the first of five at the LMU Tournament for Bucknell. The Bison will take on Illinois-Chicago (5-14) and UC Santa Barbara (12-11) on day two of the tournament.