The Loyola Marymount Lions (23-13, 11-4 WCC) tied the game at four in the bottom of the ninth and ultimately won the game in the 11
thboth courtesy of
Brandon Shearer's bat and beat UC Riverside 5-4, sweeping the season series against the Highlanders.
LMU got their first two runs courtesy of freshman
Tommy Delgado's homer to left field, his second on the season, and
Nick Sogard's strong base running. Sogard reached on an error in the bottom of the third, then promptly stole second and eventually scored on UC Riverside's Trevor Bateson's two consecutive wild pitches.
Drawing his second starting assignment for head coach
Jason Gill was freshman
Nate Madole and he responded with 2.1 innings, giving up four hits and two runs while striking out two on 47 total pitches. In relief of Madole, LMU's bullpen accounted for 8.2 innings of three hit baseball, yielding two runs and five walks while striking out 11 Highlander batters.
The Lions trailed by two in the bottom of the ninth and were able to put two men on courtesy of back-to-back errors by the Highlanders Damien Sanchez and Justin Mannens. With two men on
Dylan Hirsch laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt advancing
Alex Lambeau, pinch running for
Matthew Piotrowski, and Sogard setting the table for Shearer and the senior delivered. He sent a Jared Noonan offering into left field for a 2 RBI single squaring the game at four.
With the game in extras the Lions were able to get through the top halves of the 10th and 11th setting the table again for Shearer. In the home half of the 11
thSogard drew a walk and Hirsch singled to the shortstop putting two LMU runners on base. Shearer sent everyone home when he hit a 2-1 Jeremiah Priddy pitch to left field bringing in Sogard and giving the Lions the 5-4 come from behind victory.
The Lions now head back on the road for a three-game set against West Coast Conference foe Saint Mary's as they look increase their hold on first place in the WCC. The series begins on Thursday, April 18
thwith first pitch slated for 3:00 p.m.
