The Loyola Marymount University Lions baseball team (5-7, 0-0 WCC) put together a four run fifth, a three run seventh and ninth inning and didn't look back taking the first game of the Sunday afternoon doubleheader against the UC Davis Aggies 12-3.
 
Getting his scheduled Saturday start a day later righty CJ Fernandezees (1-1) was in command all day against the Aggies. Fernandezees threw 6 1/3 innings of two hit baseball and was dealing for most of the afternoon. In addition to allowing only those two hits, he struck out six, walked one and gave up one run against 21 UCD batters for head coach Nathan Choate's Lions.
 
The recipe of pitching and defense propelled the Lions throughout the contest. With Fernandezees in command on the mound his fielders were equal to the task. Alex Lambeau's glove was on full display as he recorded eight assists and Cole Roberts made manning the hot corner look easy. Roberts helped Fernandezees' cause in the bottom of the sixth when he snared a liner off Tanner Murray and doubled up the Aggie runner on first to end the inning.
 
With the Lions up by one they put the game out of reach in the top of the fifth by bringing in four. The rally started with Dylan Hirsch reaching on a throwing error by the Aggie catcher. With Hirsch on Kenny Oyama singled through the left side and advanced to second on the throw putting a pair of Lions in scoring position. Cooper Uhl flied out to center bringing in Hirsch followed by a Roberts double that scored Oyama. With Roberts standing at second Trevin Esquerra sent a shot over the right field wall for his second homerun of the season and the fourth Lion run of the inning. 
 
LMU put three more runs across in the top of the seventh to push their lead to eight with Matt Voelker, Tommy Delgado and Hirsch all responsible for RBIs in the frame. In the bottom of the seventh Fernandezees gave up a single then got a groundout before his afternoon was over. Choate put in relief Mason Kokodynski and the freshman got an immediate groundout for the innings second out but surrendered four hits and three runs to the Aggies to end the seventh with the Lions up five.  
 
The Lions put another four runs on the board in the top of the ninth to push their lead to 12-3 and that ultimately resulted in the game's final score.  
 
GAME TWO
 
In the second game of the doubleheader head coach Nathan Choate turned to lefty Sean Paquet and he responded with five innings of six hit baseball. Paquet gave up three runs while striking out four against zero walks. The Lions again went back and forth with the Aggies but ultimately a seven run seventh proved to be the difference in the 10-6 win.  
 
The Lions gave up runs in the bottom of the first and third before putting together a three run rally in the top of the sixth. 
 
Heading into the sixth inning the Lions put their first two batters on base. Cole Roberts reached on an error and Trevin Esquerra walked. The Lions aggressiveness came to play when both Roberts and Esquerra stole second and third to put the pair in scoring position. LMU's first run came off an error from the Aggies first basemen and the second came off the bat of Alex Lambeau whose single scooted right past the UCD pitcher to tie the game at two. The Lions took their first lead of the second game off a Matthew Piotrowski sacrifice fly. LMU tried to increase their lead but a Dylan Hirsch groundout ended the rally in the sixth. 
 
With the Lions up a ran Paquet had trouble starting off the bottom of the sixth. He gave up a single to the first Aggie batter of the inning and that's when Choate came in and called on Josh Robins in relief. The Lions relinquished the lead by giving up three and found themselves down a pair of runs. 
 
LMU came roaring back in the top of the seventh which proved to be the difference. The inning began with a pair of walks and a throwing error which put runners on the corners. With two men on Roberts delivered a single past the shortstop to bring the Lions within a run. After a Matt Voelker walk to load the bases Tommy Delgado was hit by a pitch tying the game at five. 
 
With the game tied Roberts came home off a wild pitch pushing the Lions ahead. Voelker was eventually brought home off a passed ball and Lambeau's single to right field brought in the pinch runner Chase Reed. The Lions brought in a pair of runs off another Aggie error and a wild pitch bringing the total scored in the inning to seven.  
 
The Lions gave up a run in the bottom of the eighth but it proved to be too little too late. LMU retired the Aggies in order in the bottom of the ninth and won the second game of the day and took the series against UCD two games to one. 
 
LMU returns home to Page Stadium for a midweek game on Tuesday, March 3rd when they host UC Riverside with first pitch slated for 6:00 p.m.