The Loyola Marymount Lions (6-6) got back to their winning ways on Tuesday afternoon, taking control in the third inning, fighting through a Trojan rally in the sixth, and adding to their lead late to beat the University of Southern California 14-5.
 
LMU turned to freshman Alex Burge for his first collegiate start and he gave the Lions two innings of work giving up two runs, four hits, one walk and one strike out against 10 Trojan batters.  
 
Heading into the top half of the third trailing USC the Lions bats came alive. The inning started off with a Ryan Kawano single up the middle followed by a fantastic Ryan Ruley bunt. With two Lions on Nick Sogard drew a walk and quickly came home off the bases clearing double by Kenny Oyama. Brandon Shearer drew a walk after the huge Oyama hit and that set the table for junior Trevin Esquerra. The hot-hitting Esquerra promptly took a Brian Gursky pitch over the left field wall for LMU, adding to his team leading RBI total. The Lions put another run on the board after Steven Chavez scored on Tommy Delgado's triple pushing the total to seven runs scored in the inning, a season-high for the Lions.
 
CJ Fernandezees got the nod in relief of Burge for head coach Jason Gill's team and cruised through his first three innings. He ran into trouble in the bottom half of the sixth after getting Emilio Rosas to strike out, he allowed a single to Chase Bushor and then hit Trevor Halsema with a pitch. Fernandezees gave up back to back doubles giving Southern Cal three runs in the inning and prompting Gill to go to the pen. Junior Nick Valdez came on in relief and got an inning ending double play off the glove of Kawano.
 
The Lions kept the pressure on Southern Cal in the seventh putting their first three batters on. With the bases loaded Sogard drew a walk adding to the lead and with Gill needing every run he could manufacture inserted Dylan Hirsch as a pinch runner on third. The swap quickly paid off as Oyama flied out to center and the speedy Hirsch slid underneath the tag increasing the Lions lead.
 
Both teams went quietly in the eighth and as the game moved to the top of the ninth the Lions kept their foot on the gas and added to the lead. Singles by Sogard, Oyama, Esquerra and Chavez brought in four more LMU runs and increased the lead by nine.
 
Gill called on Kyle Mora to close the door on Southern Cal and the redshirt junior didn't disappoint. Mora was able to quickly get the three outs needed and secured the win for Fernandezees, his first of the season, and sixth for the Lions.
 
LMU continues its season-long seven game road trip with a stop in Lafayette, Louisiana to take on the Ragin Cajuns. The weekend series, the first between the two schools, is slated for a 4:30 p.m. PT first pitch on Friday, March 8^th.