LOS ANGELES – Zach Kirby notched a dozen strikeouts in his LMU debut and the Lions defeated San Jose State 6-2 on Saturday night at Page Stadium. 

 

The Spartans (1-1) got on the board first after getting to Kirby for a pair in the second inning.  

 

Diego Baqueiro blasted a towering homerun over the left center field wall in the bottom half to cut the deficit in half. 

 

After giving up the pair, Kirby settled in and dominated. He struck out the side in the third inning, struck out three of four in the fourth, and three of four in the fifth. In addition to the twelve strikeouts, he only allowed the two runs, and only allowed five baserunners (four hits, one walk).  

 

Despite his best efforts, Kirby left the game on the hook for the loss. The offense would pick him up, however. 

 

After Austin Schroeder and Cole Chimenti combined for two scoreless innings, the rally began. Dylan Dennis was hit by a pitch to open things up. Cole Roberts followed up with a four-pitch walk. With the two runners on, Devan Ornelas was given the bunt sign to move them over. After working the count, the bunt sign was taken off and Ornelas laced a double into the left center field gap. Dennis scored easily, but Roberts flew around the bases and dove into the plate headfirst, just beating the throw to give the Lions the lead. Sam Biller followed up with an RBI triple to deep right and then came around to score on a Jared Thomas groundout.  

 

Roberts got to show off the range at second base in the top of the eighth. Roberts was shifted toward the middle of the diamond when a Spartan batter capped a ball in between first and second. Roberts ranged into shallow right field and delivered a strike to first, just beating the runner. 

 

The Lions added another in the bottom half of the eighth. Khadim Diaw opened the inning with an infield single and advanced to second on a Dennis walk. Ornelas singled to right on the ensuing at-bat, and Diaw held up late on the throw to the plate, but scrambled back safely to third after the third baseman missed the tag. He would score after Biller was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. 

 

Merrick Baldo took the mound for the eighth and ninth frames and recorded a pair of perfect innings to claim the save. He notched a pair of strikeouts in his 2023 debut. 

 

The Spartans return for the rubber match on Sunday, Feb. 19 with an afternoon matinee at 1:00 p.m. (PT).  

 

Mobile Ticket Information & Entry Procedures: 
To provide an efficient and safe experience for our fans; we utilize mobile ticketing delivery through the AXS app. Mobile ticketing allows fans to enter LMU athletic venues via their mobile app instead of a physical, paper ticket. Make sure to have your ticket available on your phone upon arrival to ensure the quickest entry process. For assistance, please call 310-338-LION (5466). 
 
Donate Today: 
Fans interested in contributing to the Lions Athletic Fund can do so by clicking here. Your gift will help provide a transformational student-athlete experience athletically, academically, and culturally for every LMU student-athlete. We appreciate your continued support of LMU Athletics.  
  
Follow Along With The Action: 
For complete coverage of Loyola Marymount University athletics, visit LMULions.com. We encourage you to follow along with all the action on social media as well. Follow along by following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and following us on Instagram.