The Loyola Marymount Lions (13-7, 4-0 WCC) welcomed West Coast Conference foe Pacific to Page Stadium and used remarkable pitching, timely hitting and an eighth inning rally to extend their season-high seven game win streak by taking the first game of the weekend series 7-1.
 
Senior righthander Codie Paiva continued his impressive 2019 season on the mound for LMU. He gave head coach Jason Gill 7.0 innings of solid work, conceding four hits, zero runs, two walks with six strikeouts on 98 total pitches for his second victory of the year.
 
Leading the way for LMU hitters was the red-hot Trevin Esquerra. The junior has been relentless at the dish for the Lions and tonight was no different. He was tied for the team lead in hits with two, accounted for two RBIs, one run, one double and delivered his sixth home run of the season for LMU.
 
The Lions got in the plus column in the bottom half of the third. Freshman Ben Grunberg was hit on a 1-1 pitch by Pacific's Ricky Reynoso. Nick Sogard dropped a sacrifice bunt to move Grunberg along and Cooper Uhl grounded out to third putting LMU's first run 90-feet away. Senior Brandon Shearer hit a single to right field bringing in Grunberg and was quickly brought home off Esquerra's double down the left field line giving LMU their two runs in the inning.  
 
The Tigers made it interesting in their top half of the eighth when they managed to put together a rally with one out. Sean Paquet was called in for relief duties and got the first batter he faced out but walked Pacific's Kevi Sandri prompting Gill to bring in Matt Voelker. Voelker gave up a run and was in a jam with the bases loaded but got Carte Hayes to pop up to third and Jeremy Lea to fly out to center ending the rally and scoring for the Tigers.
 
LMU managed to put the game away in the bottom portion of the eighth by bringing in five runs. The Lions sent nine men to the plate against Pacific, the first being Esquerra who got the scoring started with his homer to left field. Senior Ryan Ruley tripled in Alex Lambeau and Dylan Hirsch and then was brought home off the bat of Kenny Oyama's sacrifice fly to center field. The final run of the inning was scored off the feet of Grunberg who scored on a Dan Vitoria wild pitch. 
 
The Lions and Tigers resume their series tomorrow night for the second contest of the three-game series at Page with first pitch slated for 6:00 p.m.