The Pack drop games one and two in the series by just two runs each
COCHRAN, Ga. – The Loyola University New Orleans baseball team dropped a pair of games with No. 17 Middle Georgia State on the road Friday, falling in game one 10-8 and game two 7-5.
In the first game of the day the Knights (13-3, 2-0 SSAC) jumped on the scoreboard first, plating five runs in the bottom of the second and three more in the third. The Wolf Pack (9-8, 0-2 SSAC) fought back however, with Nathan Law and Allen Dennis reaching base on singles in the top of the fourth. After Law came in to score on an error from the Middle Georgia pitcher, Charlie Seiter singled to left field to allow Dennis to come across to make it an 8-2 game.
In the following inning, Gabriel Trastoy led it off with a double to deep center field, with his pinch runner Nicholas Caldwell coming in to score on a single from Law. With two runners on, Brandon Wilson Jr. smacked a double to left field to score Zachary Cook, with Dennis picking up his second hit with an RBI-single during the next at-bat. A double from Jesse Jordan would score both Wilson and Dennis before Luke LaCoste bunted Jordan in to even the score at eight-all.
In the bottom of the sixth however, the home team would plate two runs, as Loyola was unable to respond, giving the Knights the 10-8 win despite a solid effort from the Pack.
In game two, the Wolf Pack offense got off to a blazing start, with Law and Wilson smacking a pair doubles before Dennis blasted his sixth home run of the year. The Knights would make it a 3-1 game with a run in the bottom of the first, before tying it up with runs in the second and third. The 17th-ranked Knights would go out in front with a four-run bottom of the fourth, before the Wolf Pack chipped away with runs in the seventh and eighth. The comeback effort would fall just short however, with Loyola dropping game two by a score of 7-5.
The Pack will remain in Georgia and face the Knights in game three of the series tomorrow, March 2 at noon.
Wolf Pack Head Coach Doug Faust
"I'm proud of the way our guys battled today in both games. We came back and tied it late in the first game, but they got a big hit with two outs to win it. In the second game we swung the bats well and jumped out on top early. We knew they're a good team and knew they were going to score, and we just failed to get big hits. We left 23 guys on base in a doubleheader, so the opportunities were there we just didn't capitalize. But that's baseball, and next time, hopefully, we'll get the big hits."
Pack Facts
Allen Dennis connected on his sixth home run of the season in game two today, already matching his total from last season.
Nathan Law had a pair of multi-hit games today, going a collective 4-8, scoring three runs, with two doubles and an RBI.
Law extended his hit streak to nine games, and has hit in all 12 games in which he registered an official at bat.
Jesse Jordan has now started a five game hitting streak, and is batting .555 with seven runs scored, two doubles, three RBI and three stolen bases.
After getting a hit in both games today, Brandon Wilson Jr. has now successfully gotten a hit in 13 of 17 games this season.
You can keep up with the Pack this season by following Wolf Pack Athletics on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoyolaWolfPack, Twitter and Instagram @LoyolaWolfPack, and by checking out our website at LoyolaWolfPack.com.
