Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 After this weekend's sweep of the 14th-ranked William Carey, the Loyola Wolf Pack is now 6-0 in Southern States Athletic Conference play and 8-2 against Top 25-ranked teams
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Loyola University New Orleans baseball team is red-hot. The Wolf Pack took down No. 14 William Carey twice Saturday, completing the three-game sweep of the Crusaders and improving their winning streak to 10 games. Loyola started the day with an 11-3 win before ending the series by beating WCU 10-7 in the nightcap. Loyola is now 20-8 overall and 6-0 in the Southern States Athletic Conference portion of its schedule.
The Wolf Pack is set to host Louisiana College at 6 p.m. on Tuesday for a non-conference matchup before No. 6 Faulkner comes to New Orleans for a three-game series starting Friday.
Game 1: Loyola 11, #14 William Carey 3 (7)
Gabriel Trastoy got the Wolf Pack on the board first with a two-run home run in the second inning, but the biggest story of the game happened in the fourth inning. Leading 2-1, Loyola scored seven runs in the fourth to take a commanding 9-1 lead. The Wolf Pack used seven hits and a WCU error to swing the momentum heavily in their favor.
The first seven Wolf Pack batters reached base before the Crusaders could record an out in the frame. Allen Dennis started with a lead-off walk before Peyton Lacoste doubled to put two in scoring position. Patrick Crifasi doubled during the next at-bat to score the first two runs, and Trastoy and Luke LaCoste walked to load the bases. Brandon Duhon walked in a run, then Tucker Ganley singled to plate another. Payton Alexander and Dennis picked up RBI on two sacrifice flies, and Peyton Lacoste brought home the seventh and final run with a single to left field.
After William Carey scored two in the bottom of the fourth, cutting the score to 9-3, Loyola scored insurance runs in the fifth and seventh innings off the bats of Michael Calamari and Lacoste.
Brenden Taravella moved to 4-0 on the season with his four-inning performance on the mound. He struck out four and allowed three earned runs on seven hits before handing the ball to Rhyse Dee for the final three innings. Dee struck out three and allowed just one hit during his outing.
Game 2: Loyola 10, #14 William Carey 7
Loyola used another big inning in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader to earn the sweep, plating five runs in the fifth inning to jump out 6-0 on the Crusaders. Aaron Davis scored in the third inning to break the scoreless tie, then the Wolf Pack jumped all over WCU with five runs off just two hits in the fifth.
Trastoy singled with one out and Davis and Duhon walked to load the bases, then Ganley walked to score the first run before a balk made it 3-0. Alexander's sacrifice fly made it 4-0, a passed ball scored Ganley for another run, and finally, a Dennis single plated the final run of the inning.
William Carey started to chip into the lead with two runs in the bottom half of the fifth inning and three runs in the sixth, making it a 6-5 ballgame, but the Wolf Pack used three late-inning runs to stay ahead. Alexander recorded an RBI in the seventh to push the Pack up 7-5, then when WCU tied the game 7-7 in the seventh, Ganley picked up an RBI and Alexander tallied two more to extend the score to 10-7.
Matthew Champagne earned the win in relief with 1.1 scoreless innings, and Wes Anderson earned the save with a hit-less ninth inning.
"I'm very proud of the guys this weekend. This was a total team effort. We were short-handed this weekend and the guys stepped up and got it done in all three games. This was another good step in the right direction for us."
Pack Facts
After wins over then-No. 9 Freed-Hardeman, then-No. 14 Lyon College and currently-ranked No. 14 William Carey, Loyola is 8-2 against Top 25-ranked teams.
Allen Dennis notched two RBI in the two games Saturday, giving him 131 for his career. He's now tied for the Loyola record for career RBI.
Dennis also reached base safely in both games Saturday to improve his on-base streak to 20 games.
Freshman Tucker Ganley continues to impress, as he recorded a hit in both contests to move his on-base streak to 19 games.
Brandon Duhon swiped three bags Saturday, giving him 51 in 52 career games at Loyola. That moves him to fourth all-time in the program's history as well.
Gabriel Trastoy notched his first home run of the season, and the third of his career, in Game 1 Saturday.
Wes Anderson recorded another save in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, making it two straight outings with a save. He now leads the team in that category.
Rhyse Dee pitched the final three innings of relief in the first game, giving him his first career save in a Loyola uniform.
Peyton Lacoste led the Wolf Pack in hitting Saturday, going 5-for-9 from the plate between the two games.
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.
