LOS ANGELES — Zach Wadas homered for the second consecutive game and Cooper Whitton stole home to tie the score in the sixth inning, but LMU could not hold on, falling to Saint Mary's 8-6 in West Coast Conference play Saturday at Page Stadium.
Saint Mary's jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, chasing four runs off starter Adam Behrens before LMU recorded an out. The Lions answered in the second when Whitton connected on a three-run home run to right-center off Sam Kretsch, pulling LMU within one at 4-3. It was his second home run of the season.
The Gaels extended the lead to 5-3 in the fourth on a Tanner Griffith solo home run.
LMU responded with a two-run sixth that tied the game at five. Jake Lyall's RBI single up the middle plated
Matt Moreno to make it 5-4, and Whitton then broke from third and stole home to even things up. It was the Lions' biggest moment of the afternoon.
Saint Mary's regained the lead for good in the seventh, scoring two runs on an Ian Josephson double off DenDekker to make it 7-5.
Wadas led off the ninth with a solo home run to left-center, his second in as many games, to cut the deficit to 8-6, but LMU could not complete the comeback.
Zach DenDekker worked in relief, entering in the fourth inning. He retired the side in order in the sixth with three strikeouts before allowing two runs in the seventh. DenDekker took the loss (1-1), giving up two earned runs over 3.1 innings with four strikeouts.
Jake Geis closed out the final two innings.
Moreno went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. LMU stole five bases on the afternoon.
