LOS ANGELES – The Lions wrapped up day two of the Mary Nutter Invitational with a split, falling 8-0 to the California Golden Bears before bouncing back with a 6-3 win over the San Jose State Spartans.

Game 1:

LMU started strong in the first inning, with Justine Lambert and Izzy Jamgotchian both notching singles. But Cal's defense held firm, shutting down any chance of early momentum. The Golden Bears got on the board in the bottom half with a two-run double, taking a quick 2-0 lead.

Cal kept the pressure on, adding two more runs in the third. The Lions had a shot to respond, but a double play cut the inning short.

The Bears kept rolling with a solo homer in the fourth and a three-run fifth that put the game out of reach. Lambert grabbed her second hit of the day in the fifth, but LMU couldn't capitalize, closing out the game scoreless.

Game 2:
The second game started as a pitchers' duel, with both teams held scoreless through two innings. San Jose State struck first in the third with a two-run homer, then tacked on another run in the fourth to go up 4-0.

The Lions came alive in the fifth. Emma Gutierrez and Cristina Jones got into scoring position before Lambert knocked in LMU's first run. A fielding error added another, and Mika Chong came through to tie it up at 3-3.

LMU kept the energy going in the sixth, pulling ahead with another three-run burst thanks to Lambert, Chong, and Kealani Caster. Jessica Hubbard shut things down from there, retiring the final nine batters to lock in the 6-3 win.

The Lions play again tomorrow against Hawaii and Howard on the tournament's final day.