The Loyola Marymount Lions used eight pitchers in a bullpen showcase Tuesday night, but it wasn't enough to prevent a 3-1 loss to the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos at Page Stadium.
The Lions turned to their bullpen depth after their top relievers were heavily used during a challenging weekend series. LMU assistant coach Mathew Troupe said the team faced "tough games this past weekend just in terms of high leverage situations," which necessitated using the bulk of their bullpen multiple times.
"It is going to be the example of a bullpen day," Troupe said before the game. "It's going to be a lot of one innings. Maybe a few matchups there. Always excited for these kinds of days."
Alex Chavez started the game confidently for LMU, but the Gauchos struck first in the second inning when Masen Swan launched a home run over the left field wall to give UCSB a 1-0 lead. The Lions responded in the bottom of the second as Zion Williams sparked the offense with a hit to right field.
The parade of pitchers began in the third inning with Tanner Warady, one of several Lions who had been waiting for an opportunity. Warady looked confident on the mound and recorded a putout at first base to end the top of the third.
"The guys that don't have a whole bunch of innings at this point and just been chomping at the bit to get in here," Troupe said. "So they have their opportunity tonight."
Left-hander Gabe Maya took over in the fourth inning and provided stability for the Lions. Maya, displaying solid mechanics and composure, pitched two innings and exemplified the mental approach Troupe emphasized before the game.
"We call it the game because of all those emotions that come in," Troupe said. "The game doesn't change but sometimes we let it. We let the emotions come in and make the game feel a little bit bigger. That's what I would look out for."
The game remained tight until the sixth inning when Michael Nunez surrendered a two-run home run to UCSB's Justin Trimble with a runner on base, extending the Gauchos' lead to 3-0. The Lions answered in the bottom of the sixth when catcher Joe Reid drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, making the score 3-1.
"If this thing extends and the score starts to flip flop or advance on us, you are going to see a lot of guys with some opportunities to come in and pitch," Troupe said.
The bullpen carousel continued in the seventh inning with Sam Brady, a redshirt senior left-hander with an effortless delivery. Brady was followed by Nolan Tillit in the eighth inning, who showed sharp command and made effective pitches before throwing a wild pitch that brought in Johnny Casale.
Casale showed excitement after closing out the top of the eighth inning, but the Lions couldn't generate enough offense to complete the comeback. Graduate student Jacob Fried capped the bullpen game by pitching the top of the ninth inning.
The loss highlighted both the depth of LMU's pitching staff and the challenges of managing a bullpen game on a cold and windy night at Page Stadium. While the Lions showed fight throughout the contest, they were unable to overcome UCSB's early offensive surge.
The bullpen experiment provided valuable experience for several Lions pitchers who had been waiting for opportunities to contribute. Despite the loss, the game served its purpose of giving extended looks at the team's pitching depth while managing workloads after a demanding weekend series.
LMU will look to bounce back in their next outing as they continue to navigate the challenges of the college baseball season.