With the threat of rain in the forecast the Loyola Marymount baseball team (2-2) got an earlier start against UC Riverside (1-4) and took full advantage, jumping on the Highlanders right from the onset.
 
Opening up the game for the Lions and continuing his hot streak to start the season, senior Brandon Shearer singled up the middle to begin LMU's rally. Shearer's hot bat leads the team in average at .538. With two men on, redshirt sophomore Steven Chavez singled to right center bringing in Cooper Uhl putting the Lions on the board. UC Riverside's Kevin West tried to pick off Chavez but his throw was a little too hard allowing Shearer to steal home pushing the Lions lead to two.
 
LMU continued the scoring in their half of the second when Nick Sogard doubled down the right field line brining in Dylan Hirsch who got on base with a bunt single following that hit with a steal of second base. The Lions pushed another run through in the top of the third on Trevin Esquerra's fly to center, bringing in Shearer for the RBI.
 
Redshirt sophomore Giuseppe Benedetti (1-0) was solid on the bump for the Lions scattering two hits and striking out two in 3.0 innings pitched. His solid performance was the shot in the arm the Lions needed. In relief of Benedetti's strong outing, junior Nick Valdez shut the Highlanders down in the fourth and fifth. Redshirt sophomore Sean Paquet then put UC Riverside's bats in the freezer. In his 1.2 innings pitched, he fanned four Highlanders and got three of those K's looking.
 
LMU tied their season high in hits with 12 and kept pressuring UC Riverside all day by having runners on base in every inning but one.  
 
Sophomore's Josh Robins and Matt Voelker got the final six outs and put the Lions back in the plus column. LMU has one day off before their home opener on Friday when Saint Louis comes to town for three at Page Stadium with first pitch slated for 6 p.m.