LOS ANGELES – Nate Savoie hit a first inning grand slam, DJ Ghiorso followed with his second homerun of the season, and Jonah Johnson struck out seven batters in 3.1 innings of work as the LMU baseball team defeated Cal State Northridge (CSUN) 7-1 on Tuesday night at Page Stadium in Los Angeles.  

 

The Lions got on the board early and cruised to victory. 

 

LMU opened up the game with three straight walks to load the bases. After a strikeout, Savoie stepped up to the plate and battled in a tough at bat, fouling off a pair of pitches to work the count full. The freshman got an elevated fastball and drove it into the right center field gap. The ball carried well over the wall for his fourth homerun of the season and the Lions' second grand slam in as many weeks.  

 

Ghiorso's homerun came in a much different plate appearance. The usually very patient infielder jumped on the first pitch he saw and drove it over the left center field wall for his second homer and the second time the Lions have gone back-to-back this season. 

 

The Matadors got one back in the second inning, but that was all the offense they could muster as the LMU pitching staff allowed only a pair of hits, with only one of those hits leaving the infield.  

 

Johnson came on in relief of starter Jacob Hughes with bases loaded in the second and got a big strikeout to end the threat. He followed that escape with three scoreless innings and six more strikeouts. The junior allowed just one hit, an infield single.  

 

LMU's offense was relatively quiet the remainder of the game, scratching across a pair of runs thanks to the bat of Beau Ankeney. Ankeney reached on a fielder's choice with runners on first and third in the bottom of the second inning before roping an RBI single in the fourth inning. Going back to the fielder's choice, Jake Lyall led off the inning with a line drive single over the third baseman for his first collegiate hit. He came around to score on the fielder's choice.  

 

The Lions open the series with Tarleton State on Friday, March 14 at 6:00 p.m. (PT). On Saturday, the first 150 fans in attendance will receive a LMU cowboy hat.