Loyola baseball split a conference doubleheader today versus Blue Mountain College in New Albany, Mississippi, winning the first game 11-6 before falling in the second game 14-4.
FRI, 04/03/2015
Box Score - Loyola 11, Blue Mountain 6
Box Score - Loyola 4, Blue Mountain 14
(New Albany, Miss.) Loyola University New Orleans baseball split a conference doubleheader today versus Blue Mountain College in New Albany, Mississippi, winning the first game 11-6 before falling in the second game 14-4.
Loyola's bats really came to life in the first game win as the 11 runs scored was the highest output for the Pack (20-22, 7-16 SSAC) in any SSAC game this season. Patient batting in the first inning led to four walks and four runs for the Wolf Pack. Daniel Pappas had the lone hit for the Pack in the first, a single to center field that scored both Luis Anguizola and Carmelo LoSauro. The Toppers (11-22, 4-17 SSAC) responded with three runs on five hits in the bottom of the inning to make it a one-run game.
With the Pack leading 4-3 in the top of the sixth inning, Jordan Wilson smacked a double to left field to plate Joseph Kuchler and give Loyola a two-run advantage. John Nicholson was then plunked by a pitch from Blue Mountain reliever Cody Shrewsbury, which loaded the bases for Anguizola. Anguizola took the 1-2 offering from Shrewsbury and crushed it over the left field fence for the Wolf Pack's first grand slam of the season.
The Pack added two more insurance runs in the seventh when Rawlings Elam tripled to bring in Pappas and Nicholson doubled to score Elam.
Daniel Posway earned the win on the mound for the Pack, allowing four earned runs in six innings of work. He moves to 2-0 on the season with the win.
Wolf Pack batters combined for nine hits, five of which went for extra bases. Anguizola finished the game a perfect 2-2 with three walks, two runs scored and four RBI. Elam was 2-3 and scored three runs in the leadoff spot.
Blue Mountain starter Colin McRory lasted just 0.1 innings on the mound, giving up four walks, one hit batsman and four runs. He suffered the loss, moving to 1-6 on the year.
Miciah Heard, Seth Davis, Josh Whitaker and Tyler Jones all had multi-hit games for the Toppers. Blue Mountain had 13 hits as a team but left a total of nine runners on base.
Blue Mountain had plenty of opportunities to score in the second game as well, and this time they didn't squander them. The Toppers totaled 20 hits and scored 14 runs, both of which are the most Wolf Pack pitchers have allowed in a single game in SSAC play this season.
Loyola actually held a brief lead early in the game when Brian Reaney scored from third off of a Lance Licciardi sacrifice fly in the top of the third inning. That lead would be short lived, however, as the Toppers scored twice in the bottom of the inning. The Wolf Pack would tie the game at two apiece in the top of the fourth inning as LoSauro hit a solo home run to left field. But Blue Mountain scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 6-2 lead and then scored two runs every inning for the remainder of the game.
Stewart Campbell took the loss for the Pack, surrendering six runs (four earned) in four innings. Reed Davis earned the win for Blue Mountain, allowing 11 hits but just three earned runs in 7.1 innings pitched.
LoSauro finished the game 3-4 while Anguizola and Elam added two hits each.
Whittaker, Davis, Josh Crowder and Brandon Berry had three hits apiece for Blue Mountain, accounting for 12 of the Toppers' 20 hits. Crowder and Berry each had three RBI.
With the win in the first game of the doubleheader today, Loyola reaches twenty wins in a season for the second consecutive year.
Loyola will finish up the three game set versus Blue Mountain with the series finale tomorrow at 12 p.m.
