The Loyola Marymount Lions (7-7) got on the board early and benefitted from a superb performance from junior Josh Agnew on the mound and walked away with a tough 4-1 victory over Louisiana Lafayette on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Lions and Ragin Cajuns went quietly in the first two innings but LMU was able to break the scoreless tie in the top of the third. Dylan Hirsch started the inning by taking a pitch off the waist and then promptly stole second once aboard. With Hirsch in scoring position junior Nick Sogard took a Dalton Horton offering and sent it up the middle brining in the first Lions run. Sogard wasn't on the bases for long as Cooper Uhl hit a shot to right center for a triple bringing home Sogard and putting the Lions in front by two, which were the only runs scored in the inning for LMU.
 
Agnew was the story by far for the Lions. The junior put together a masterful performance for head coach Jason Gill's team. He only allowed three hits, one run and two strikeouts on 81 pitches in 6.1 innings worth of work equating for his longest outing of the season. He did power through a scary moment in the bottom of the fifth as he took a comebacker from the Ragin Cajuns' Todd Lott off the shoulder but managed to shake it off and continue pitching for LMU.
 
The Lions got a runner in scoring position in the top of the fourth when Ryan Ruley hit a double to left center but was stranded on base as the next three LMU batters all recorded outs. 
 
Louisiana however was able to cut the Lions lead in half in the bottom of the fifth when Orynn Veillon started off the frame with a triple and was quickly brought home by a Sebastian Toro groundout to shortstop. After the comebacker by Lott the Ragin Cajuns had men in scoring position but couldn't figure out Agnew and ended the inning only bringing home one.
 
Sensing the urgency to score Louisiana got aggressive on the bases in the bottom of the seventh when Gill replaced Agnew with Giuseppe Benedetti. With the new pitcher on the mound Louisiana tried, on two separate occasions, to test the arm of Uhl. Both Ragin Cajun base runners were caught trying to steal second which ultimately ended the inning and any threat there was in the frame.
 
Gill called upon sophomore Matt Voelker to get the final six outs and he didn't disappoint. He found himself in a jam in the bottom of the eighth but was able to pitch his way out by getting Handsome Monica to strike out with a runner on third ending the inning and the last scoring threat for Louisiana.
 
With the Lions holding on to a one run lead in the top of the ninth LMU rallied and got a clutch hit by Sogard bringing home Alex Lambeau who started off the frame by getting hit by a pitch then stealing second. Brandon Shearer added another run for the Lions by taking a three-two delivery up the middle for a single brining in Sogard and pushing the lead to three.
 
Voelker got the final three outs in order and helped the Lions even the series at one against Louisiana. The two teams meet for the rubber match Sunday morning with first pitch slated for 10:00 a.m. PT.