Brawl Mars Loyola Doubleheader Win : Lions Defeat San Diego University 10-5,8-0; Second Game Protested

University of San Diego pitchers Tony Battilega and Adam Schwindt each threw two deliveries Saturday in the first inning of the second game of their West Coast Athletic Conference doubleheader at Loyola Marymount. But the results could not have been more polarized.

The difference in the pitches was that Schwindt’s offerings netted all three outs of the inning, but both of Battilega’s pitches hit Loyola senior outfielder Robert Cannon, which set off a bench-clearing brawl.

And although the incident didn’t help San Diego avoid a two-game sweep by the Lions, who won 10-5 and 8-0, it provided an answer to a trivia question: Can a pitcher get credit for all three outs in an inning, yet throw only two pitches?

Both Cannon and Battilega were ejected, Cannon for charging the mound and Battilega for retaliating.

After order was restored, the next batter, freshman Joe Ciccarella, grounded Schwindt’s first pitch into a routine double play. Then Schwindt got senior Travis Tarchione to fly out to center to end the inning.

“Robby (Cannon) thought the guy hit him on purpose,” Loyola Coach Chris Smith said of the incident. “It’s an unfortunate thing.”

But Smith said the fight can be traced back to a fight between the two teams two years ago. His counterpart at San Diego agreed.

“The same thing happened the last time we were here,” Toreros Coach John Cunningham said. “It’s turning this game into a goon squad.

“Every time a team doesn’t like a pitcher, they can just send guys they don’t need after the pitcher and get him ejected.”

In the second game, played under protest by San Diego after the first inning, Loyola’s Jon Willard earned his first win of the year, and Schwindt took the loss.

Loyola’s victory in the first game was keyed by four consecutive doubles, by Cannon, Tarchione, Rick Allen and Ciccarella, in a four-run third inning that propelled the Lions from a 2-1 deficit to a 5-2 lead. Kalani Bush got the win to improve his record to 7-1.

The Lions’ team record improves to 5-1 in the conference and 20-17-1 overall. San Diego, which has lost eight straight, slips to 1-9 and 15-19-1. The two squads will conclude a four-game weekend series today at 1 p.m.