Santa Clara Gets 31 Hits to Sweep Loyola, 10-5, 15-9 : Baseball: Struggles continue for Lions, who fall to 11-29 and 6-14 in the West Coast Conference.

The pitching woes of the Loyola Marymount baseball team continued Saturday as the Lions dropped a doubleheader to visiting Santa Clara.

Santa Clara pounded out 25 runs and 31 hits to sweep the Lions, 10-5 and 15-9.

The losses dropped the Lions to 11-29 and 6-14 in the West Coast Conference. Santa Clara is 15-25 and 8-12.

It is the first time that Santa Clara has won two games in a row this season. It was also the first time Santa Clara has won at Loyola since 1989.

Santa Clara’s 20 hits in the second game were the most Loyola has given up this season.

In losing the first game, the Lions gave up 11 hits, but Coach Jody Robinson didn’t blame the pitching. He was more concerned about the three errors that his team committed.

“In the first game, the pitching held up but we didn’t play defense,” Robinson said. “In that one, I think the defense haunted (pitcher Bob) Noson. Most of it wasn’t his fault.”

The Lions took a 5-0 lead into the fifth inning before Santa Clara rallied to score 10 runs in the final three innings.

Santa Clara scored two runs in the fifth inning, the first run scoring on a throwing error by catcher Rob Ickes, who attempted to pick off a runner on third base.

The Broncos scored six runs off Noson in the sixth inning. Trailing 5-4, Santa Clara took the lead on a two-run triple by shortstop Mike Crisafulli.

Santa Clara added two runs in the seventh to help reliever Jon Spaulding earn his second victory in three decisions. Noson dropped to 2-4.

The Lions took a 3-0 lead against Santa Clara starter Ryan Brust in the second game. The big hit for Loyola was a two-run double by first baseman Anthony Napolitano.

After the Broncos scored twice in the top of the second, Napolitano gave Loyola Marymount a 4-2 lead with a run-scoring single in the bottom half of the inning.

But Santa Clara tied the score on a two-run home run by outfielder James Eidam in the third. The Broncos broke it open with seven runs in the fourth, highlighted by a grand slam by designated hitter Casey Paulson, who finished with four hits in the game.

“In the second game, we just couldn’t get them out,” Robinson said. “I don’t know what happened. We started with (Brian) Fitzgerald and he couldn’t get anyone out. Then (Ross) Richardson and (R.J.) Kirkland had problems.”

Brust earned the victory to improve to 3-5. Richardson, a basketball reserve who recently joined the baseball team, suffered the loss.

Loyola did manage to rally for five runs in the seventh and eighth innings.

“It was frustrating for everyone,” Robinson said. “The one thing that was encouraging was that we battled all the way until the end. It feels worse if you quit.”

Robinson was happy about Loyola’s offense, which came through with 11 hits in the first game and 12 in the second. Napolitano led the way with five hits in the doubleheader, including four doubles.

Napolitano also had two doubles in Loyola’s 9-6 victory over Santa Clara in the first game of the series Friday.