LOS ANGELES – Owen Hackman threw eight shutout innings, Robbie Ayers launched a mammoth homerun over the Blue Monster and the Lions moved one step closer to clinching a bid in the West Coast Conference Tournament with a 6-1 victory over San Francisco on Thursday night.  

 

Hackman continued a strong string of starts with his longest outing of the season. He has now gone three straight starts without allowing a run. It is a part of a 27-inning stretch that he has allowed only one run while striking out 28 batters. On Thursday, he went eight scoreless innings, allowed only three hits, walked three and struck out seven in what could be his final start at Page Stadium. His season ERA was lowered to a very respectable 3.69. 

 

Offensively, the Lions got things going with Ayers's two-run shot in the bottom of the second. Brett Zimmerman singled with one out before Ayers launched a full count delivery over the Blue Monster. It was his fifth homerun of the season. It would have been a three-run shot but Grant Weiss's liner into right field was caught on a ridiculous diving catch by the Dons' right fielder. 

 

The Lions added on the rest of the runs in the sixth inning. Ayers pushed across the first run of the inning with a bases loaded fielder's choice in which an out was recorded at third. Christian Dicochea followed up with a double inside the third base bag that scored Zimmerman easily from second before Brendan Bobo lined a single into center field to score two more.  

 

The Lions broke a pair of records on Thursday night. Hackman struck out the first batter of the game, marking the 462nd strikeout the pitching staff has recorded in 2024. That is a new school record.  

 

Weiss was hit by a pitch three times as well. The second time he was hit he broke the LMU single-season hit by pitch record with his 22nd. Of course, he added another and will likely add a couple more before the season ends.