LOS ANGELES – The LMU baseball team fell in Monday night's nonconference matchup with UC Santa Barbara 13-6 at Page Field. 

 

The Lions dug a deep hole early before chipping away at the lead. They eventually gave up some late runs to mark the final tally. 

 

Khadim Diaw and Sam Biller combined for five hits, four runs and two RBI. The leadoff and two-hole hitters provided the majority of the Lions offense on Monday night. 

 

The Gauchos (12-3) got to starter Jimmy Galicia for a two-run homer in the second inning. His night would be done and a parade of pitchers would follow. The Lions would use 11 pitchers in total with varying degrees of success.  

 

The most effective would probably have to be Logan Hurd. Hurd came on in relief of Conner Kershaw in the fifth inning and got five outs. He recorded punchouts on four of those.  

 

Cole Clark also demonstrated some success, closing out the ninth with a pair of strikeouts.  

 

The Gauchos homered three times in the game and walked 11 times. They left 12 runners on base. 

 

Down six runs early, the Lions started chipping away in the fourth. Diaw led off with a double down the left field line before Biller drilled a triple to right-center. Diego Baqueiro followed up with a single through the left side, and the Lions were within a grand slam. 

 

UCSB would get a run back in the top of the fifth, but the Lions would close the gap in the bottom half of the sixth. Diaw led off with a single to right. Biller would follow up by dropping a single into center. Baqueiro chopped a ball to first base, but the fielder threw the ball away when trying to get the runner at second base and Diaw scored. After both runners advanced on a wild pitch, Robbie Ayers grounded out to plate Biller. Baqueiro would come around on a Brett Zimmerman sacrifice fly.  

 

The Gauchos would plate a pair in the top of the seventh and the Lions would get one back on a Khadim Diaw RBI single. Connor Blough laced a ball into center field and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Diaw would dump a single into center, scoring Blough easily. Blough has now reached base in six straight games. 

 

UCSB would put up a four-spot in the top of the eighth to put the game out of reach.  

 

The Lions open up conference play at Page Stadium on Thursday, Mar. 16 by hosting the BYU Cougars in a three-game series. Thursday and Friday's games carry start times of 6:05 p.m. (PT), with Saturday being a matinee start at 1:05 p.m.  

 

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 making a contribution 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.