The Lions fell 13-7 against Saint Mary’s on Sunday, April 14, in a series showdown at Page Stadium. The game lasted nearly four hours after a rain delay brought the game to a halt momentarily.
LMU walked-off the Gaels 5-4 in the 10th inning after Benny Casillas, shortstop and graduate student for the Lion’s, hit a walk-off single to send junior catcher Robbie Ayers home on Friday night; however, Saint Mary’s took home the win on Saturday, beating the Lions in a close contest 8-7.
Following the tough loss, the Lions needed a win to take the series, but their opponent had other ideas. Saint Mary’s started the game at the plate with a productive 1st inning, scoring two runs against LMU starting pitcher, freshman Colin Caycedo. After getting through the 1st, the Lions bounced back, scoring a run.
However, the runs did not end there for the Gaels, who then scored six in the 2nd, bringing the score to 8-1. The Lion’s bullpen was busy, as they changed pitchers three times before senior Cole Chimenti came in as a relief to end the opponents rally. LMU wasn’t as fortunate when it was their turn to bat, only getting one run in.
The 3rd inning consisted of good defense from both sides with no runs given up or errors made. This did not continue in the 4th, with the Gaels scoring five runs, as first baseman, Christian Almanza, hit a grand slam off senior Conner Kershaw.
Faced with an 11-run deficit, the Lions faced an uphill battle going into the bottom of the 4th, but they did not shy away from the challenge. With smart base running and a couple of walks, LMU was able to bring home four batters with Robbia Ayers, Christian Dicochea, Benny Casillas, and Brendan Bobo all scoring.
The score did not change again until the bottom of the 8th, when Brendan Bobo, senior and first baseman for the Lions, singled to left field and was knocked in by his teammate, junior Devan Ornelas, after another single to center field.
The last five innings did not see much action offensively, but the Lions did continue their pitching switch ups. By the end of the game, the Lions had used nine pitchers to Saint Mary’s six. While this is not completely out of the ordinary for the third game of a series, 15 pitchers in one game is a rare occurrence.
Although the final score of the game was not in LMU’s favor, the team garnered 10 hits and only gave up one error. The Lions look to face University of the Pacific this weekend in Stockton, California and are currently sitting at 7th place in the conference to Pacific’s 8th.
In terms of record, LMU Baseball is 15-23 overall and 2-10 in West Coast Conference play this season. After a very successful campaign and conference title last spring, the group has struggled to come together.
An early season ending injury to star player Khadim Diaw, a strong hitter and fielder for the Lions, has been felt throughout the season. Diaw was the WCC freshman of the year in the 2022-23 season, and the team could benefit from his versatility on the field and at the plate.
