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Looking to salvage a three-game West Coast Conference series, LMU (25-23, 13-11 WCC) handed the ball to junior J.D. Busfield on Mother's Day Sunday, and the right-hander responded with his first career complete game, tossing 9.0 innings and allowing just three runs on seven hits and one walk with a career-high tying eight strikeouts to beat WCC-leader Saint Mary's (26-19, 14-7 WCC) by a count of 5-3.

Busfield, who improved to 5-4 with the victory, threw 102 pitches to get through the nine innings, with the lone blemishes coming on a pair of home runs. The complete game was the first of the year for LMU, and the first since Colin Welmon went the distance at Portland on April 24, 2015.

The long ball allowed Saint Mary's to break up a scoreless game in the fifth, as Edward Haus launched a two-run homer over the Mikos Blue Monster in left field for his second homer of the year. The lead stretched to 3-0 in the sixth when Zach Kirtley belted his sixth of the year to lead off the inning.

Though he allowed the round-trippers, Busfield continued to battle and fill up the strike zone, giving the Lions a chance to come back in the game. LMU's offense answered the call in the bottom of the sixth, as three straight singles from Phil Caulfield, Spencer Erdman and Austin Miller in the top three spots in the order loaded the bases with nobody out for Cassidy Brown. Brown delivered the first run with a sacrifice fly, but it was a two-RBI double from Jamey Smart that put the finishing touches on the comeback, evening the tally at 3-3 headed to the seventh.

After Busfield wiggled out of a jam in the seventh by inducing a 1-6-3 inning-ending double play with runners on the corners, LMU carried the momentum into the home-half of the frame, scoring twice to take a 5-3 lead it would not relinquish. Seaver Whalen got the ball rolling with a one-out double before Miller, who went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, punched a go-ahead RBI-single off reliever Ty Madrigal into left field to chase home Whalen. LMU plated its final tally on a double steal that saw Nate Nolan's throw sail into centerfield, allowing Erdman to scamper home without a throw.

All five of LMU's runs were charged to starter Cameron Neff, as the right-hander allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts before being tagged with the loss and falling to 3-3.

Busfield, a native of Valencia, Calif., was locked in over the final two frames, retiring the final six he faced, including striking out a pair. He got a little help from his defense to complete the game, as Caulfield dove up the middle and threw from his knees to retire Ian McLoughlin for the final out of the contest in the top of the ninth.

LMU will return to action on Tuesday when it travels to UC Riverside for a game at 6 p.m. The game at the Highlanders will be the final regular-season road game for LMU.