LOS ANGELES — In one of the most historic comebacks in recent program memory, the LMU Lions rallied from nine runs down to stun San Francisco 12-10 Thursday night at Page Stadium.
The Lions stared down a 9-0 deficit through six innings as USF starter Gabriel Barrett carved through the LMU lineup, tossing six dominant shutout innings with 10 strikeouts. What followed was nothing short of remarkable. LMU exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the seventh, sending 10 batters to the plate and turning a rout into a revival.
Noah Malone lit the fuse, ripping a bases-loaded double to center field that breathed life into a dormant Lions lineup and cut the deficit to three.
Richie Klosek kept the momentum rolling with his third home run of the season, a thunderous two-run shot down the left field line that suddenly made it a one-run game at 9-8.
San Francisco pushed across a run in the top of the eighth to nudge its lead back to two, but Zach Wadas had other plans. With the bases loaded and the season's momentum hanging in the balance, Wadas unloaded on a breaking ball for a no doubt grand slam to right-center field that flipped the scoreboard and left the Dons stunned. He finished the night 2-for-4 with five RBIs and a moment Page Stadium will not soon forget.
On the mound, starter Jonah Johnson surrendered six earned runs in 2.1 innings before
Zach DenDekker steadied the ship with 4.2 solid innings that kept the Lions within striking distance.
Matt Moreno delivered the finishing touch, closing out the final two innings without allowing an earned run to earn his first career victory.
The Lions continue to have successes against late-inning arms on Thursday night. In the win last week against Cal Poly, the Lions rallied for four runs against a closer that was 7-for-7 in save opportunities and the same thing happened against the Dons. Nick Bacura had six saves and had only surrendered one run in 13.2 innings before the Lions got to him for the grand slam.
LMU improves to 9-23 overall and 1-6 in West Coast Conference play.
The series against the Dons will continue on Friday night with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m. (PT).
