LOS ANGELES — San Diego baseball lost a 9-4 decision to Loyola Marymount at Page Stadium on Friday night to begin its 2025 West Coast Conference schedule.

The Toreros (3-18, 0-1 WCC) struck for a run in the top of the first inning but found themselves trailing after the Lions (13-9, 1-0 WCC) scored three times on back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the frame.

USD starting pitcher Austin Smith was able to settle in following LMU's early offensive outburst, allowing just one additional run across five innings pitched while totaling seven strikeouts.

Nico Libed dropped down a textbook RBI sacrifice squeeze bunt in the fifth to cut the Lions' lead to 3-2 before Smith helped his own cause and ripped a go-ahead two-RBI double in the subsequent at-bat to push his team ahead by a 4-3 margin.

Loyola Marymount tied it an inning later, then pulled ahead 6-5 in the following frame with an RBI single.

San Diego had the tying run in scoring position in both the seventh and eighth innings but could not come up with another clutch hit to draw even with LMU. The Lions scored four times across their final at-bats of the night to put the game out of reach.

NOTABLE

• Isaiah Lane and Aden Howard drew the Toreros' only two walks.
• Lane notched USD's lone stolen base before exiting the game in the bottom of the fourth.
• Connor Meidroth, who replaced Lane at shortstop, led off the top of the eighth with a double, which marked the first extra-base hit of his college career.
• Both teams' first batter of the game was hit by a pitch.

UP NEXT
The Toreros will continue their series against LMU tomorrow afternoon. First pitch in game two at Page Stadium is set for 3:00 p.m.