NCAA West Regional : Loyola Marymount Keeps Hopes Alive

The Loyola Marymount baseball team added two more chapters to its season-long success story Saturday at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Now the Lions need another installment to complete the tale.

Loyola, facing elimination after losing its first-round game in the NCAA West Regional, beat UC Santa Barbara, 14-6, in 11 innings, then defeated previously unbeaten Hawaii, 10-6, to keep alive its hopes of winning the title and advancing to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

The Lions will play Hawaii again today at 1 p.m. for the title. Had the Rainbows won Saturday afternoon, they would have gone to the College World Series to play the winner of the South I Regional Friday.

As has been its custom most of the season, Loyola came from behind to win both games. The Lions also trailed UCLA on Friday before winning, 12-10. Santa Barbara led, 4-0, before Loyola’s offense went to work. And Hawaii scored three runs in its first at-bat.

“We’ve got that act down pat,” Lion Coach Dave Snow said afterward, shaking his head in wonderment. “Why do you think I’ve got all this gray hair?

“The bread and butter of our ballclub is our offense, and it came through again.”

And how. Just ask Santa Barbara and Hawaii. Of the Lions’ total of 21 hits, 9 were for extra bases, including 6 home runs. And they came at opportune times.

Jim Bruske hit three--in successive at-bats. His first was a grand slam that capped Loyola’s eight-run 11th inning against Santa Barbara. In his first at-bat against Hawaii, he hit a three-run homer in the second inning to give the Lions a 4-3 lead. Then he hit one with the bases empty in the third to make the score 7-3.

Billy Bean also had a productive afternoon, going 3 for 7 and driving in six runs. His three-run homer in the 11th inning broke open the Santa Barbara game. Bean is batting .500 in the tournament (8 for 16) with 3 homers and 11 RBIs.

As pleased as he was with the Lion offense, Snow was even happier about the pitching performance turned in by Steve Polk. Polk, who usually plays first base, yielded 11 hits and retired the side in order only once, but he went the distance to give the other Loyola pitchers a much-needed rest.

“The real story is getting a complete game from Polk,” Snow said. “He’s the all-conference first baseman. He hasn’t pitched that much. He’s a real gutty guy. He goes right at you and gives you his best.”

Polk, who has a .354 batting average with 8 homers and 52 RBIs, had pitched just 25 innings in his previous eight appearances. “I knew I’d be pitching. The game plan was for me to go as hard as I can for as long as I can,” said Polk (3-1). “Everything went well.”

The same can’t be said for Santa Barbara. The Gauchos could have won the game in regulation if not for a mental error by pitcher Lee Carballo.

Loyola had the bases loaded with two out in the eighth inning when Carballo came in to pitch to Fred Tuttle. Tuttle singled to right, driving in two runs to tie the score at 5-5. The throw home by right fielder Quinn Mack sailed to the backstop, allowing Bruske, who had gone from first to third, to score the go-ahead run.

Had Carballo been backing up the play, Bruske would have stayed at third. Carballo then struck out the next batter to end the inning. In bottom half of the inning, Greg Vella homered to tie the score. It could have been the game-winning hit.