The Loyola Marymount Lions (9-7, 1-0 WCC) opened West Coast Conference play with a 2-1 extra inning thriller over Santa Clara behind senior Codie Paiva's dominant performance, a strong bullpen outing and a bottom of the 18^thrally to run past the Broncos.
 
LMU returned to Page Stadium from their season long seven-game road trip and treated the home crowd to an extra inning walk off victory off the bat of sophomore Alex Lambeau. The Lions last ventured into extras when they beat BYU 9-8 in 12 innings on March 16, 2018. 
 
Senior Codie Paiva put together 8.0 impeccable innings for head coach Jason Gill's team. He threw a season-high 113 pitches giving up five hits, striking out six and allowing one run. The lone run scored off Paiva was a home run by Santa Clara's Andre Nnebe tying the game in the top half of the ninth at one.
 
The Lions had a hard time getting runs off Santa Clara's Keegan McCarville over his 7.1 innings pitched. LMU was able to get six hits off McCarville but could only produce one run in the bottom half of the eighth.
 
Junior Nick Sogard led off the eighth inning with a double. Kenny Oyama tried to bunt Sogard over but his attempt went airborne and the Broncos Jake MacNichols dove and made the play keeping Sogard at second. With a runner in scoring position senior Brandon Shearer delivered, blasting a shot down the left field line scoring Sogard and giving the Lions the lead.
 
Paiva went into the top of the ninth looking to close the door on Santa Clara but Nnebe took the 2-1 offering over the center field wall tying the game and ending Paiva's masterful performance. LMU was able to retire the Broncos after giving up the solo shot but couldn't end the game in the bottom half of the ninth allowing for the marathon to begin.
 
The Lions threatened to end the game in the bottom half of the tenth when they had two runners on but Trevin Esquerra struck out swinging and pinch hitter Matthew Piotrowski struck out swinging as well ending the rally and inning for LMU. 
 
LMU put another rally together in the bottom half of the 13th when freshman Ben Grunberg punched his first collegiate hit to left center and then was pushed to second on the sacrifice by Cooper Uhl. Lambeau hit a soft blooper to right center handcuffing Grunberg allowing him only to get to third. With runners on the corners Ryan Kawano walked, loading the bases for LMU. The next two hitters for the Lions weren't able to produce the winning run as Dylan Hirsch struck out swinging and Sogard hit softly to the third basemen who tagged Lambeau ending the rally for LMU.
 
The Lions and Broncos bullpens dueled each other over the next three innings with Santa Clara's Nnebe providing the only hit for both teams when he punched a single to right field in the top half of the 16^th.
 
Santa Clara threatened to take the lead in the top of the 17^thwhen Ryan McCarthy doubled down the right field line to begin the frame. Matt Jew bunted McCarthy over to third giving the Broncos two outs to get the go ahead run. LMU's Sean Paquet stalled the Broncos rally and got both Blake Faddoul and Dawson Brigman to strike out swinging putting an end to the threat.
 
The Lions went quietly in the bottom half of the 17^thsetting the stage for the dramatic end to the game in the 18^th. 
 
Grunberg began the Lions half of the 18^thby singling down the right field line. With Grunberg at first Gill called on Uhl to lay the sacrifice bunt again and the junior promptly delivered moving the base runner along. Grunberg was able to advance to third on a wild pitch setting the stage for Lambeau's late-inning heroics. With the tension high and every pitch drawing breath from the crowd Lambeau hit a single just in front of the diving center fielder, giving LMU the walk off win and their first victory in WCC play in 2019.
 
The 18-inning, five hour and five-minute contest were both season-highs for the Lions and featured a total of 33 strikeouts, 22 hits, 25 men left on base, two errors and only yielding three runs between the two teams.
 
The Lions and Broncos return to Page Stadium tomorrow night for the second contest of their three-game series with first pitch slated for 6:00 p.m.