BELLEVUE, Wash. — LMU overcame an early 5-0 deficit but could not ultimately pull ahead in an 8-6 defeat Sunday at Bannerwood Park, falling to Seattle U and dropping the Lions to 10-27 overall and 2-9 in West Coast Conference play.

LMU starter Adam Behrens ran into immediate trouble in the second inning, surrendering back-to-back home runs to Ryder Manale (three-run) and Payton Knowles (two-run) to put Seattle up 5-0. Behrens finished with six innings pitched, allowing five earned runs on six hits.

The Lions responded with a three-run fourth, keyed by a Jaxson Wall double and an RBI single from Jordan Ortiz, trimming the deficit to 5-3. LMU then rallied to tie it in the seventh on an RBI single by Zach Wadas and an unearned run aided by a Seattle error. But the Redhawks answered with a run in their half of the seventh and two more in the eighth off reliever Alec Johnson to pull away for good.

Wadas was LMU's most consistent bat, going 3-for-5 with an RBI. Noah Malone, who delivered Saturday's critical two-out, two-RBI single to tie the game in the eighth, was held hitless Sunday in three at-bats, though he nearly tied the game in the ninth with a deep flyout to right field that led to a sac fly.

The Lions and Redhawks will meet Sunday at 12:00 p.m. (PT) to complete the series.