IRVINE, Calif. — Loyola Marymount put together one of its most complete performances of the season Tuesday night, pounding out 14 hits and scoring in seven separate innings to rout No. 13 UC Irvine, 15-5, at Anteater Ballpark.
The Lions (20-17) delivered big hits and manufactured runs from the start, then broke the game wide open late with multi-run frames in the eighth and ninth. Eight different LMU players recorded hits, and five drove in multiple runs.
LMU Scoring Breakdown
LMU jumped on the board in the second inning after Zion Williams was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on a balk. Junior DJ Ghiorso opened the scoring with a sharp infield single, and after a double by Colby Wallace, Ashten Wong
added an RBI infield hit.
Cam Hassert capped the inning with a sacrifice fly to left to make it 3-0.
In the third, Devan Ornelas launched a solo homer to right, and after a walk and wild pitch moved Nate Savoie to third, Noah Malone drove him home with a groundout to extend the lead to 5-0.
After the Anteaters answered with five in the bottom of the third, LMU retook control in the fifth, as Savoie belted a two-run homer-his third of the season-scoring Ornelas and pushing LMU back in front 7-5.
The Lions added a run in the seventh when Williams singled home Ornelas, who had walked and advanced on a single by Savoie.
LMU poured it on in the eighth, scoring four runs without a hit initially thanks to a pair of UC Irvine errors and a sac fly from Hassert. Then, Williams delivered a two-run single before getting caught in a rundown that allowed JD Dunn to score on a heads-up play, stretching the lead to 12-5.
In the ninth, the Lions tacked on three more. Ghiorso doubled, Wallace tripled him home, and both he and Dunn, who was hit by a pitch, would score-Wallace on a steal of home and Dunn on an
RBI single by Beau Ankeney.
Key Performers
- Devan Ornelas went 2-for-3 with a home run, two walks, and three runs scored.
- Savoie reached base four times with two hits, a homer, and two walks.
- Adam Behrens (3-0) earned the win in relief with 1.1 innings of scoreless work.
The LMU bullpen held Irvine scoreless over the final six frames. Cole Stucky and Michael Nunez closed the door, combining for 3.2 shutout innings and five strikeouts.
Up Next: LMU returns to conference play on Thursday, April 17 against the Santa Clara Broncos. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. (PT).
