PORTLAND, Ore. – The LMU baseball team fell to Portland 1-0 in ten innings on Friday night in Portland, Ore.  

 

The Lions pitching staff delivered nine shutout innings before giving up a walkoff homerun in the bottom of the tenth.  

 

Kenji Pallares drew the start and was phenomenal. He threw 5.1 innings, allowed just one hit, struck out six, walked a pair and did not allow a run. He worked quickly and mostly efficiently to shut down the Pilots' offense. 

 

Zack Mack took over in the sixth inning and immediately induced an inning-ending double play. He threw 2.1 scoreless innings, allowed just a pair of hits and struck out one.  

 

Cole Stucky was tagged with the tough luck loss after he came in to pitch in the eighth. Robbie Ayers threw out a Pilot runner at second to end the eighth before Stucky tossed a scoreless ninth.  

 

There was some slight drama after Portland attempted to move a runner to second with a sacrifice bunt. Stucky fielded and fired to second and Cam Hassert caught the ball on a short hop, but the ball careened out of his glove, and he snagged it with his bare hand. The umpire initially ruled that the runner was safe because Hassert came off the bag, but after review the ruling was overturned. 

 

Stucky got out of the ninth unscathed before giving up a homerun to the first batter in the tenth.  

 

The Lions will be back in action against the Pilots on Saturday, March 29 with first pitch scheduled for 3:00 p.m. (PT).