April 14, 2013

Box Score

DETROIT - Lauren Moore homered twice and drove in five runs to lead the Loyola University Chicago (18-13, 6-2 Horizon) softball team to a 7-3 victory over Detroit (4-31, 1-7 Horizon) this afternoon at Buysse Ballpark for its sixth straight win in Horizon League play. Moore's second roundtripper of the game moved her into a tie for first place in Loyola's single-season record book with Kat Krause and Jenna Grim, who each crushed 11 home runs.

Loyola, which has swung the bats much better over the last week and scored a run in each of the first four innings in game one of today's doubleheader, wasted no time setting the tone. Brooke Andresen got things started on the right foot for the Ramblers by crushing a Julia Maksym offering on a 2-1 count over the fence in right center to lead off the contest.

The host Titans made sure the Ramblers' lead was short-lived, however, as Sara Cupp smacked a two-run home run in the bottom of the first for a 2-1 Detroit lead, its first of the series.

Unshaken, Loyola took advantage of a Titans error when Tarran Shaffer, who had led off with a single, scored on a misplay by the third baseman in the second inning. In the third, Moore helped the Ramblers claim the lead for good when she clubbed a two-run shot to left center after Jessica Balzano had opened the inning with a base on balls.

Moore's second homer of the day, a three-run bomb in the fourth inning, extended the Ramblers' advantage to 7-2 and gave the junior third baseman a share of the school's single-season mark of 11 roundtrippers.

Kristina Vizza picked up the win in relief in her first appearance since March 30 scattering seven hits and not allowing an earned run, while striking out three. The freshman lefthander effectively worked her way out of some tough spots, stranding Titans on base in each of her five innings, including a bases-loaded spot in the third.

Andresen, Balzano, and Moore, the first three hitters in the Loyola lineup, did most of the damage, combining for six of the team's seven runs and four of its six hits.