A walk-off single from Jesse Jordan in game one and nine runs on 12 hits in game two gives Loyola the two-game sweep
WESTWEGO, La. – Returning home for a Monday doubleheader with Dakota State University, the Loyola University New Orleans baseball team collected a pair of wins, 7-6 in game one and 9-0 in game two, at Segnette Field.
While the visiting Trojans (0-6) jumped on the board first with three runs in the opening frame, the Wolf Pack (11-9) responded quickly. Yet another leadoff single from Zachary Cook got the bats going, with Brandon Wilson Jr. reaching base before Allen Dennis brought the first run in on a single. A misplayed grounder at third base allowed both Wilson and Dennis to score, evening the score at three.
After three more runs in the top of the second from Dakota State, Loyola began to chip away at the deficit, plating one run in both the second and fourth inning. Wyatt Lankford came in from the bullpen and kept the opposing team off the board, with 5.2 clean innings while striking out three. Down one in the bottom of the seventh, Dennis led the Pack off with a double to deep right-center field and was later brought in on a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded. Coming on to pinch hit, Jesse Jordan smacked a pitch back up the middle, allowing Payton Alexander to come in and score the game-winning run.
Loyola's offense continued to ignite the field in game two, as they brought in three runs in the first, highlighted by a triple from Dennis. A sac-fly from the Pack's first baseman in the second inning would help extend their lead even further, with a double from Dennis in the third innings highlighting yet another multi-run inning as Loyola would lead 8-0 at the end of the frame. A strong start from Michael Toscano kept the Trojans off the board, with Lawrence Frishberg and Joseph Snowden coming on in relief to help seal the collective shutout.
The Pack remain home at Segnette Field this weekend, hosting Bethel for a three-game series beginning on Friday, March 8 at 4 p.m.
Wolf Pack Head Coach Doug Faust
"First game they came out swinging the bats and jumped up on us. I was proud of our guys the way we scratched and clawed our way to get back into it and found a way to win the game late. I kind of feel like we stole that first game at the very end, but we'll take it, we did a good job of getting ourselves in a position to win it."
"In the second game, Mickey started off really well on the mound for us, we swung the bats well, and took control of it from the get-go. It's always good to win and sweep a doubleheader, and I hope we continue to build towards conference next weekend."
Pack Facts
Allen Dennis was white hot from the plate today, extending his hit streak to eight games, going a collective 6-7, with three runs scored, three doubles, a triple, four RBI and a stolen base.
The sophomore is batting .500 with 11 runs scored, four doubles, a triple, three home runs and 11 RBI during his streak.
Jesse Jordan came up big in game one with the walk-off single, before getting the start in game two where he continued his hitting streak, now up to eight games.
After getting the start in right field in game one, Michael Toscano started the second game on the mound for the Pack, blanking the Trojans over three innings while striking out a career-best six batters.
Loyola stole seven bases today with Jase Biehl and Brandon Wilson Jr. each swiping two bags.
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.
