Box Score After a late evening Friday at the Southern States Athletic Conference Championship, the Loyola Wolf Pack will have to fight through the loser's bracket Saturday
MOBILE, Ala. – The top-seeded Loyola Wolf Pack suffered their first loss of the Southern States Athletic Conference Championship Friday, as William Carey pulled off the upset 9-6 in a game that lasted until 1 a.m. at Hank Aaron Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. Loyola must bounce back quickly now, taking on Mobile at 1 p.m. Saturday in an elimination game.
Neither team scored in the opening frame, but the Wolf Pack got on the board in the second inning with some patient at-bats and two runs scored on bases-loaded walks. Allen Dennis started things off with a walk, followed by a single to shallow center field by Kason Cullins. William Carey's starter then walked three consecutive batters, loading the bases and walking in two runs.
The Crusaders picked up their first run in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly, but Loyola added two more runs in the fifth inning to go up 4-1. Michael Calamari started things off in the fifth, driving a hit into deep center field. Running for Calamari, Zach Cook was then brought home on an RBI double from Peyton Lacoste. Lacoste moved to third base on a wild pitch, and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Kason Cullins. Carey responded with two runs at the bottom of the inning, and Loyola held on to a 4-3 lead at the end of five.
The sixth inning followed a similar pattern. Patrick Crifasi got on base with his third walk of the contest, then he moved to third on a single from Gabriel Trastoy. Brandon Duhon came in to pinch run, and he quickly stole his team-leading 23rd base of the year. Payton Alexander drove in both runners on a single up the middle, and Loyola once again extended their lead back out to three runs, 6-3. The Crusaders, however, responded well in their half of the inning, tying the game at 6-6 heading into the seventh.
With Loyola unable to put anyone on base in the following two frames, Carey took its first lead of the contest, scoring three runs in the bottom of the eighth. The Pack loaded the bases in the ninth inning, but could not plate any runs as the Crusaders pulled off the upset.
Overall thoughts on the game:
"It was a competitive game, the type of game you see in a regional championship or the World Series. Two good teams who are competing. It was a little sloppy at times and we did things that were uncharacteristic of us, but it is what it is. When you're in those pressure situations, things like that happen and you have to deal with adversity. I thought we did a decent job of that. We had a chance right there at the end, but when you have a strike zone that wide, it is what it is."
On fighting through the loser's bracket:
"We have a lot of guys who can throw strikes and compete on the mound. We have John (Blanchard) going, and he's one of our best guys. We feel good about the game tomorrow, and we have guys behind him who are more than capable. We haven't used that many pitchers, so I like where we're at. We'll go back to work and see if we can climb back into it."
Pack Facts
Kason Cullins is now on a nine-game hit streak after singling in the second inning.
Cullins notched his 13th multi-hit game this season, while Peyton Lacoste had his 17th.
Brandon Duhon now has 23 stolen bases in 2021, which ties him for seventh-most in a season in Loyola history.
Patrick Crifasi drew three walks, which is a new career high.
Driving in two runs on his single in the sixth, Payton Alexander has now amassed 50 RBI, which is seventh-most in a single season in team history. His on-base streak now stands at 21 games.
Michael Calamari also extended his on-base streak, which is now at 20 games. He's also had a hit in 10 straight.
Tournament Schedule
Thursday, May 6
Game 1 | No. 1 Loyola def. No. 8 Stillman, 12-0 (8 innings)
Game 2 | No. 6 Brewton-Parker def. No. 3 Middle Georgia, 4-3
Game 3 | No. 2 Faulkner def. No. 7 Blue Mountain, 12-0 (7 innings
Game 4 | No. 5 William Carey def. No. 4 Mobile, 14-2 (7 innings)
Friday, May 7
Game 5 | Middle Georgia def. Blue Mountain, 11-8 (12 innings), Blue Mountain eliminated
Game 6 | Mobile def. Stillman, 26-1, Stillman eliminated
Game 7 | Faulkner def. Brewton-Parker 11-1 (7 innings)
Game 8 | William Carey def. Loyola, 9-6
Saturday, May 7
Game 9 | 10 a.m. | Brewton-Parker v. Middle Georgia
Game 10 | 1 p.m. | Loyola v. Mobile
Game 11 | 4 p.m. | Faulkner v. Gm 9 winner
Game 12 | 7 p.m. | William Carey v. Gm 10 winner
Sunday, May 8
If Necessary | 10 a.m. | Gm 12 winner v. Gm 12 loser
If Necessary | 1 p.m. | Gm 11 winner v. Gm 11 loser
Championship | TBD
Tickets | Live Stats | Live Video | Bracket | Championship Program
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