Los Angeles, Calif. - With a chance to secure the series with a victory on Saturday night, the Tigers saw the Lions slip past them late for a 5-4, series-evening, victory at Page Stadium. Leading by three in the seventh, Pacific (9-27, 6-11 WCC) gave up four late runs to LMU (23-16, 10-7 WCC) including a run in the ninth to drop the middle game of the three-game series.

Just as they had done the night before the Tigers struck first against the Lions, plating two runs in their first trip to the plate. Staying red-hot, Tyler Sullivan got the ball rolling for Pacific with a one-hop double off the wall in left center while Jimmy Gosano walked to put the first two on for the Tigers. After moving up 90 feet on a ground ball, the Tigers would get their first run of the inning on a wild pitch while tacking on a second run on an RBI single to left by their first baseman Nate Verlin.

Up two, the Tigers would make their first mistake of the night as an error helped the Lions score their first run of the game in the bottom of the second, scoring an unearned run on a ground ball to second.

For the next four innings, the two teams traded zeros until a wild seventh inning lit up the scoreboard. Starting the fireworks in the top half of the inning, Pacific was able to notch its second two-run frame of the game when Dallas Correa delivered a two-out, two-RBI single up the middle with the bases loaded. For Correa, the hit came after the Lions intentionally walked Verlin for the first time to load the bases.

Up three, the Tigers comfortable lead vanished in the blink of an eye as the Lions came up with three runs with a little help from Pacific's defense. For the Tigers the whole inning started when a ground ball to first turned into a hit as Tiger starter, Will Lydon could not locate the bag while receiving the flip from Verlin. From there, the Lions took advantage of a handful of mistakes while adding timely hitting into the mix to erase Pacific's lead. Using three hits including a perfectly timed hit and run, the Lions did their damage, the final blow coming from pinch hitter Jamey Smart. 

Despite the trouble, the Tigers were able to get out of the jam and stop the bleeding thanks to reliever Sean Bennetts as the junior transfer induced an inning ending double play with the bases loaded to keep the Tigers from falling behind. 

However, the bad luck from the the seventh continued for the Tigers just a half inning later as what appeared to be a one-out triple for McKay Koissian turned into a double and an out as the sophomore was called out sliding into third on a call hotly argued by Pacific. One batter later, the Tigers thought they had another extra base hit but a ball that appeared to hit the chalk off the bat of Sullivan down the left field line was called foul. Pacific would ended up without a run in the inning as the Lions were able to come up with the shutdown inning.

The Tigers would threaten in the top of the ninth with runners at the corners after Brett Sullivan picked up his second double of the night down the right field line, but a jam shot to third ended the inning without a run. The miss in the top half would be the final chance for Pacific in the game as the Lions completed the comeback in the bottom of the ninth, scoring the walk-off win on a bad hop up the middle with runners at first and second on an 0-2 pitch to Kyle Dozier with two outs in the inning. The hit was Dozier's first hit of the night after going 0-4 previously in the game.

In all, Lydon went 6.1 IP as he was charged with seven hits and three earned runs while striking out four and walking one. Bennetts (0-5) was charged with the loss as the run that came in in the ninth was his as closer Vince Arobio gave up the tough luck hit up the middle to end the game.

For the Lions, starter, Trevor Megill lasted 5.0 IP while giving up seven hits and two runs while striking out five and walking two. His younger brother, Tyler Megill, gave up two runs on three hits in relief, going 1.2 IP after entering prior to the start of the sixth. The win went to J.D. Busfield (3-1) as he pitched into and out of the final jam for the Lions in the ninth as the fourth LMU pitcher into the game.

For the Tigers, Verlin put together his finest effort at the plate of his young career as the freshman went 3-for-3 with a pair of intentional walks and an RBI. T. Sullivan notched two more hits on the night and was intentionally walked once to finish 2-for-4 at the top of the lineup while B, Sullivan and Koissian each added two hits to the Tigers' totals.

Pacific will try to rebound and take the series on Sunday, April 19, when the two teams meet for the rubber game of the three-game series at Page Stadium. The game is scheduled for 1:00 pm.