Los Angeles – The Nebraska baseball team (4-4, 0-0 Big Ten) took a 1-0 lead in its series opener against the Loyola Marymount Lions (6-2, 0-0 WCC) on Friday night, but the Lions scored the final four runs of the game to take the opener, 4-1 on Friday night at Page Stadium.

The Husker were unable to get their offense going on the night, as they notched seven hits, while striking out 11 times. Nebraska’s pitching staff limited the Lions to eight hits, but seven of the eight came with two outs. Two-out hitting was key for the Lions, as all four of their runs scored cross the plate with two outs.

Nebraska started Chance Sinclair dropped his second straight start to fall to 1-2 on the year after posting a 10-1 record last season. LMU starter Colin Welmon went 7.2 innings in the win and struck out nine Huskers.

After Sinclair got out of a jam in the third, the Huskers broke the scoreless game with a run in the top of fourth. Reigning Big Ten Player of the Week Ryan Boldt led off with a double off the blue monster in left field and was quickly 90 feet from home after Blake Headley executed a sacrifice bunt. Sophomore Ben Miller then stepped in picked up his eight RBI of the season with a sacrifice fly to left field.

Sinclair was cruising in the fifth and had just retired his sixth straight Lion when No. 9 hitter Joe Murray started a two-out rally with a base hit. Murray moved to second on a wild pitch and then scored on a single by Austin Miller that tied the game, 1-1. Sinclair was unable to end the bleeding, as he walked Billy Wilson and then David Fletcher delivered a two-RBI double that put the Lions ahead 3-1.

With momentum on the Lions side, the Huskers had a chance to respond in the sixth with the heart of their order up, but Welmon retired NU in order. LMU chased Sinclair from the game in the sixth and added another two-out run on a double that pushed its lead to 4-1.

The Huskers had life in the seventh when Tanner Lubach led off the with a single, his second of the game, but Welmon quickly ended the threat with a pair of strikeouts and a groundout. The Huskers then started a two-out rally in the eighth on back-to-back singles by Boldt and Headley, but Michael Silva came in from the bullpen and struck out Ben Miller to keep the Lions on top, 3-1.

Austin Christensen picked up a one-out single in the ninth, but the Husker couldn’t put anything else together on closer J.D. Busfield.

The Huskers and Lions continue their series tomorrow at 4 p.m. (CT). The game was originally scheduled for 8 p.m. (CT), but was moved due to rain forecasts.