LOS ANGELES – Nate Savoie swatted a pair of two-run homers, Zion Williams notched three hits for the second straight day and the Lions baseball team defeated Seattle U 12-6 on Sunday afternoon at Page Stadium in Los Angeles.
Savoie got the scoring started in the second inning with his first collegiate hit. Devan Ornelas led off the inning with a single into right field before moving to second on a stolen base. Savoie worked the count before drilling the 2-0 pitch over the blue monster. He was mobbed by his teammates as he crossed the plate for his first run, RBI and homer in a Lions uniform.
The Lions added another run in the third when DJ Ghiorso continued his hot start with another RBI, this time on a sacrifice fly.
The Redhawks added one in the top of the fourth but the Lions continued to add on with one of their own.
Noah Malone led off the inning with a single before advancing to second with some aggressive baserunning on a fly ball to right field.
Joe Reid stepped up and drove a single through the middle of the diamond to plate Malone easily from second base.
The offense clicked for four runs in the fifth. Williams led off the inning with a double down the right field line. He was looking for three but missed second base and had to throw on the brakes to get back. Ornelas followed up with a double off the center field wall to score Williams without a play.
Kolton Freeman followed up by driving a double down the right field line. Savoie followed Freeman with his second two-run shot of the afternoon, a majestic blast over the blue monster.
The Lions would add one in the seventh on a wild pitch. Ashten Wong pinch ran for Freeman, advanced to second on Savoie's single before advancing to third on a double play. He would score easily from third on a wild pitch.
Seattle would get three in the top of the eighth, but the Lions would match that tally in the bottom half. Ghiorso once again came up in the clutch, lacing a single through the left side with runners on first and second to easily plate a run. Ornelas followed by singling on a hard hit ball that the Redhawks' first baseman knocked down with a diving stab but could not handle cleanly. Savoie notched his fourth hit, an RBI single to finish the scoring in the eighth.
The Redhawks would get two more in the ninth to mark the final tally.
Jonah Johnson got the start on the mound for the Lions and threw five clean innings, utilizing a heavy fly ball approach to get his outs. He allowed only four hits and an unearned run while striking out two and getting 12 fly ball outs.
The Lions saw a debut from Alex Chavez out of the bullpen. He pitched the seventh and struck out one batter and a pair of baserunners.
The Lions are back in action on Monday, Feb. 17, against Cal Poly at 5:00 p.m. (PT). Tickets are available at LMULions.com and the matchup will be streamed live on ESPN+.
