Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 After winning two games Friday, the Wolf Pack baseball team bounced in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader to win the four-game weekend series
WESTWEGO – The Loyola Wolf Pack baseball team suffered their first loss of the season in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader with Houston Victoria, but the Pack bounced in Game 2 to win the four-game weekend series. The Jaguars started the day with a 5-4 win, but Loyola closed the weekend with a 10-4 victory.
Loyola (3-1) will now hit the road for the next 13 games, returning to Segnette Field on Friday, Feb. 26 against LSU Alexandria.
GAME 1: Houston Victoria 5, Loyola 4 (7)
Houston Victoria scored four runs in the first three innings to jump out ahead 4-1. Trailing 2-0 in the second, Peyton Lacoste doubled to start the frame and later scored when Gabriel Trastoy doubled two batters later.
Facing a 5-1 deficit in the fifth, the Wolf Pack plated two to make it a close game. With the bases loaded and one out, Luke Lacoste scored on a ground ball to first base and Zach Cook came all the way around from second on the same play. Loyola missed an opportunity to score more, though, because the Jaguars got two straight fly outs to end the Loyola threat.
Loyola scored its final run in the sixth, and again, missed a chance to score more. Michael Calamari singled to start the frame, and Kason Cullins, who was pinch-running, advanced to third on a stolen base and an error on the catcher. Cullins scored on a Peyton Lacoste single, and the Wolf Pack put two runners in scoring position with no outs two batters later. A bunt attempt turned into an inning-ending double play when the UHV first baseman made a diving catch then fired to third base for the third out.
Michael Toscano entered to pitch the third inning and did well enough to hold the Jaguars' offense at-bay. He threw 4.2 innings while giving up one earned run on two hits with four strikeouts.
GAME 2: Loyola 10, Houston Victoria 4
The bats started to get rolling for the Wolf Pack in Game 2, scoring at least one run in seven of the eight innings they came to the plate. It all started in the first inning when the Wolf Pack loaded the bases with one out. With Alexander on third, Peyton Lacoste hit a sacrifice fly to deep left-center field to give Loyola a 1-0 lead early.
Loyola scored one run in the first four innings, and the second run came off the bat of Landon Trosclair. With one out, he sent a ball to deep left field to make it a 2-0 game. In the third, Peyton Lacoste, again, picked up an RBI, singling home Allen Dennis who walked earlier in the inning. Alexander doubled in the fourth inning to score Cullins, and the Pack quickly led 4-0.
The Jaguars finally got on the board in the fifth, tying the game off four hits and an error by the Wolf Pack defense. After a scoreless fifth from both teams, Loyola plated two runs in each the sixth, seventh and eighth to pull away.
After intentionally walking Michael Calamari to put two runners on base with two outs, Peyton Lacoste made the Jaguars pay with his third RBI of the game. Ross Selvaggi then singled to load the bases, and Kaleb Fontenot was hit by a pitch to push Loyola's lead to 6-4.
In the seventh, Cullins doubled with one out and took third base on a wild pitch before Alexander's sacrifice fly made it a 7-4 game. On the next pitch, Allen Dennis hit his first home run of the season to make it 8-4. In the ninth, Alexander picked up two more RBI with a single to score Selvaggi and Patrick Crifasi.
Jacob Coleman earned the win in relief with 1.1 innings of no-hit ball and two strikeouts. Stephen Still, Alexander Acevedo, Chandler Strader, John Blanchard III and Coleman combined to throw 5.1 relief innings while giving up no runs on two hits with six strikeouts. Wyatt Lankford started the game and pitched well before running into trouble in the fourth. He gave up four unearned runs off five hits.
"The obvious biggest difference (from Game 1 to Game 2) was the quality start on the mound. Good starting pitching gives your team confidence, and Wyatt gave us that right out of the gate with his demeanor and his ability to execute pitches. Our offense did a better job overall in the second game, but I'd say (this weekend) was eye-opening for us. We have a long way to go. It's obviously the first weekend, but we're nowhere close where we need to be for this team to do the things that we want to do."
Pack Facts
Allen Dennis hit his first home run of the season in Game 2 on Saturday, and the all-time leader for homers by a Loyola player now has 21 in his career.
Payton Alexander reached base once in Game 1 and four times in Game 2 to push his on-base streak to 30 games, which dates back to last season.
Saturday was Alexander's third time in his career with at least four RBI in a game. His career-high of five came on Feb. 24, 2018.
Patrick Crifasi got on base in the first game Saturday to extend his on-base streak to 17 games. While he did pinch run in Game 2, he did not make a plate appearance so his streak is still active.
True freshman Jacob Coleman saw his first career action on the mound in Game 2, earning the win in relief.
In his first four games at Loyola, Peyton Lacoste is 6-for-12 at the plate with six RBI.
You can keep up with the Pack by following Wolf Pack Athletics on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoyolaWolfPack, Twitter and Instagram @LoyolaWolfPack, and by checking out our website at LoyolaWolfPack.com.
