SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The ninth-ranked University of San Diego baseball team held off a late Loyola Marymount University rally to claim a 6-4 West Coast Conference win Saturday afternoon at USD’s Cunningham Stadium.
With the win, the Toreros improve to 34-11 overall, move to 12-2 in the WCC, claim the three-game series over the Lions and run the nation’s longest winning streak to 15 games. With the loss, the Lions fall to 20-22 overall and 5-9 in the WCC.
Once again the Toreros wasted no time in scoring as they put up one run on one hit in the first inning. Kevin Muno got things started with a walk and moved to third on Sean Nicol’s single to right field. James Meador then drove in Muno with a sacrifice fly to right field to give USD a 1-0 lead.
USD then put took complete control of the game by putting up five runs on six hits in the botom of the second inning. Victor Sanchez led off the inning with a single up the middle and moved to second on Jose Valerio’s single through the right side. After Nick McCoy advanced each runner with a sacrifice bunt, Muno drove in Sanchez with a ground out to the second baseman. Sean Nicol then hit a RBI single up the middle for the second run of the inning. Meador kept things rolling with a single through the left side and Josh Romanski drove in Nicol with a run-scoring double to left centerfield and the final two runs came on a Logan Gelbrich two-run single up the middle to give USD a comfortable 6-0 advantage.
The Lions then came back by putting up four runs on two hits in the top of the fifth inning. The LMU runs came on a AJ LaMonda RBI single and a three-run Angelo Songco double down the left field line cutting the lead to 6-4. But the Lions could come no closer as USD came away with the 6-4 win.
Romanski (8-0) picked up the win on the mound for the Toreros as he allowed four runs on five hits, while striking out nine in 7.0 innings of work. Sophomore closer AJ Griffin set the new program-record with his 21st career-save as he allowed no runs on no hits in 1.0 innings of work. Martin Viramontes (2-4) was saddled with the loss for the Lions as he allowed six runs on eight hits in 2.2 innings of work.
Offensively for the Toreros, Nicol led the way as he went 3-for-5 with one RBI. Meador went 2-for-3 with one RBI and Valerio, Sanchez and Muno all went 2-for-4 with Valerio recording a double and Muno adding in an RBI.
