Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 The 12th-ranked Wolf Pack went 1-1 during the first day of the Cajun Collision tournament on Friday, defeating Tabor College and losing to No. 14 Science and Arts of Oklahoma
STERLINGTON, La. – Some of the best NAIA baseball teams from around the country are in Sterlington, Louisiana, this weekend for the Cajun Collision, and the No. 12 Loyola Wolf Pack is scheduled to play four games against quality opponents on Friday and Saturday. On Day 1, Loyola opened up the tournament with a 6-3 loss to No. 14 Science & Arts of Oklahoma before walking off Tabor College in the afternoon, 2-1, to split the two games.
The Pack will now take on No. 3 Southeastern (Florida) at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday before playing Jarvis Christian in the afternoon around 1 p.m.
#14 Science and Arts 6, #12 Loyola 3
The majority of Friday's opening game of the tournament was a pitchers' duel between the Science and Arts starter and senior Brenden Taravella, as both pitchers helped bring the game to a 1-1 tie until the seventh and final inning. While both teams were able to push runs across in the seventh, the Drovers scored five while the Pack only got two, giving Science and Arts the 6-3 win.
While Taravella (2-1) did get the loss, he struck out five and allowed five hits before leaving the game in the seventh inning. He pitched around a leadoff single in the first inning and a one-out double in the second before allowing one run in the third inning to give the Drovers a 1-0 lead. Taravella then allowed just one base runner through the next two innings, sitting USAO down in order in the fifth. He was charged with four of the five seventh-inning runs, though.
After recording just one hit through the first four innings, the Wolf Pack's offense woke up with a run in the fifth inning to tie the game, 1-1. Garrett Beadle started the frame by reaching base on an infield error, then he advanced to third on another error by the Drovers defense. A Kason Cullins bunt for a single during the next at-bat brought the run home, but Loyola couldn't add any more runs.
Loyola had a runner caught stealing the sixth, then left another stranded in the same inning before back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning cut into USAO's lead. With one out, Cullins and Jake Mills hit consecutive homers to make the game interesting, but USAO held on by getting two of the next three Loyola batters out.
#12 Loyola 2, Tabor College 1
Stephen Still pitched a gem in the second game of the day, going six strong innings. While the Wolf Pack offense only produced one hit during Still's outing, the sophomore allowed one run to score on six hits with six strikeouts. He stranded two base runners he walked in the first inning with back-to-back strikeouts, then he got a double-play ball in the third inning to keep it a 1-0 game. Brett Fisackerly entered to pitch the seventh, earning his third win in relief.
Tucker Ganley started the seventh with a single, which prompted a pitching change by Tabor, then Jake Mills reached base on an error and stole second to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Payton Alexander walked to load the bases with one out, and freshman Cameron Trosclair produced the second walk-off winner of his short career with a ground ball to shortstop. After Trosclair was put-out at first base for the second out, which scored pinch-runner Aaron Davis, the Tabor first baseman tried to get Mills rounding third base. The ball got away from the third baseman, and Mills jogged home to end the game.
Pack Facts
Senior Brenden Taravella made a three-spot jump in the program's career strikeouts Top 10, jumping from sixth to tied for third with his five Ks on Friday. He now has 175 strikeouts for his career.
With a hit against USAO and a walk in the second game, Payton Alexander has extended his on-base streak to 34 games, dating back to last season.
Jake Mills and Allen Dennis have also reached base in every game this season after Friday's two games. Mills was 1-for-4 and Dennis was 2-for-3 in the first game of the day, but neither recorded a hit in Game 2. Mills was hit by a pitch and Dennis was walked to keep the streak going, though.
Mills' hit in Game 1 was a home run, too, and that was his first in a Wolf Pack uniform.
Kason Cullins also added his first home run of the season in the first game, which is the second of the sophomore's career.
Sophomore Stephen Still's seven innings of work tied a career-high, and he's pitched that far into a game three times in his career. The two other times were during his freshman season in 2021.
Just nine games into his freshman season, two games have ended thanks to the bat of Cameron Trosclair. He hit an extra-inning walk-off single last week against IU Kokomo, then his ground out on Friday against Tabor College allowed the winning run to score.
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.
