Making his first collegiate start on the bump, sophomore right-hander David Wallum made it through just one inning of work before the WSU baseball team was unable to recover in a 7-3 loss to Loyola Marymount University on Monday.

Wallum’s struggles put the Cougars’ pitching depth behind the eight ball, as the team used four pitchers to get through the first five innings of Monday’s game. Wallum allowed four runs, three of which were earned, on two hits and three walks in the loss. Wallum’s ERA jumped to 21.60 on the season with the start.

The bottom half of the first inning started with LMU senior infielder Phil Caulfield drawing a five-pitch walk, and everything spiraled downhill from there.

The Lions’ next batter plated Caulfield with an RBI triple and later scored on a WSU throwing error two batters later. The Lions cemented their 3-0 first-inning lead after LMU junior outfielder Billy Wilson stole his way to third base and was driven in by an RBI single to close the frame.

Finishing the game became a team effort after Head Coach Marty Lees yanked Wallum early in the second inning, as no WSU pitcher threw more than two innings in the game, and two hurlers registered only one-third innings of work.

Sophomore right-hander Chandler Greenfield took the hill midway through the second inning for his first appearance of the season, but the Cougars’ pitching struggles continued as the six-foot-one-inch Idahoan worked his way through two innings.

Greenfield surrendered two runs, one of which was earned, on the back of four hits and two walks. LMU generated one of its two runs off a wild pitch from Greenfield, and by the time the sophomore right-hander took over in the fourth inning, LMU had upped its lead to 6-1.

Despite allowing six runs in three innings, the Cougars’ offense kept the team within striking distance of LMU with a three-run third inning.

Sophomore outfielder Justin Harrer got the Cougars on the board with a two-strike RBI single. After sophomore catcher Cory Meyer flied out to center to register the first out of the inning, junior first baseman James Rudkin pushed Harrer across with another RBI single.

Sophomore shortstop Andres Alvarez then worked a walk to set up junior outfielder Derek Chapman’s sharp RBI single to right, scoring Rudkin on a throwing error by the LMU catcher.

The Cougars’ bats then fell silent for the remainder of the game, and the Lions generated another run on a wild pitch in the sixth inning to coast their way to a four-run victory.

The loss gave the Cougars (3-4) a series split with the Lions (4-4) and concluded WSU’s two-week road trip through California to open the season. WSU has won three of its last five games dating back to its 4-3 win over Sacramento State on Feb. 19.

WSU returns home to take on Stephen F. Austin for a four-game series at Bailey-Brayton Field. The first game between the two teams is set for 4 p.m. on Friday.