Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 After being shutout in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against Texas Wesleyan, the 12th-ranked Wolf Pack responded with a strong performance in Game 2 to split the two games
WESTWEGO – After losing Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader with Texas Wesleyan, 5-0, the No. 12 Loyola Wolf Pack bounced back with a crucial 7-2 Game 2 win to split the two games at Segnette field. The Wolf Pack (8-5) and the Rams will meet again for one more game on Sunday, and first pitch is scheduled for noon.
Game 1: Texas Wesleyan (RV) 5, No. 12 Loyola 0
The Wolf Pack started the day with a tough 5-0 loss, but the Rams only plated those runs in two innings. The game remained scoreless through the first three innings, as Wes Anderson got the start and allowed just one hit with three strikeouts during that time.
Texas Wesleyan was able to get to Anderson, though, getting two, two-out hits, a walk and another reaching on an error to score two runs in the top of third. The Rams started the next inning with a leadoff single, which led to three more hits, two walks and three more runs to take a 5-0 lead.
The Wolf Pack's offense was held hitless through the first three innings, but they used a hit and an error to put two on with no outs in the bottom of the fourth. During the next at-bat, however, the Wolf Pack grounded into an unorthodox double play that ended at the plate to quickly give TWU two outs with a runner at third. The Rams would eventually get out of the inning, as well as stranding two more runners in scoring throughout the rest of the game.
Brett Fisackerly and Matthew Villa pitched the final 2.1 innings without allowing any more runs, and Fisackerly struck out two and allowed just one hit in his inning and a third, while Villa faced the minimum with one strikeout in 12 pitches.
Game 2: No. 12 Loyola 7, Texas Wesleyan (RV) 2
The Wolf Pack got a little payback in Game 2 of the series with the Rams, scoring two early runs to help split the doubleheader. Ross Selvaggi led off the second inning with a double to quickly get something started for Loyola, then Garrett Beadle was hit by a pitch two at-bats later to put two on with two outs. Tyler Hopkins picked up the RBI on a single to right-center, and Beadle came around to score two at-bats later on a passed ball.
That score held till the seventh inning, as sophomore Stephen Still was dealing on the mound. The Wolf Pack pitcher went seven strong innings with seven strikeouts, only allowing one hit and a walk during his outing. A runner reached base in the first inning due to an error, then Still issued his only walk in the second before facing the minimum through the next five innings.
After Still's day was done, Loyola blew the game open in the bottom of the seventh with three more runs, as Hopkins and Jake Mills started the frame with back-to-back walks. Payton Alexander picked up the first RBI with one out, and Allen Dennis and Selvaggi walked during consecutive at-bats to load the bases for pinch-hitter Brady Morgan. Morgan walked, too, to plate the second run of the inning, and a passed ball during Tucker Ganley's at-bat made it a 5-0 lead for the Wolf Pack.
Loyola added some insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth as well. With two runners in scoring position and one out, Alexander delivered the two-RBI single to left field to push the advantage to 7-0. TWU scored a pair of runs in the ninth inning to take away the shutout, but Josh Orr entered to pitch and got the final out.
Wolf Pack Head Coach Jeremy Kennedy
On Loyola's performance in both games:
"It was a tough day to hit and a great day to pitch. The first game we had the wind blowing in and the second game we had the shadows, so that makes it tough to do anything offensively for both teams. It was just a sloppy day. Not much energy, not much execution."
On Stephen Still's early-season success:
"I think he's continuing what he was doing the back-half of last year. His changeup, when he's commanding that, he's really tough to deal with. He threw strikes (Saturday) and did a really good job."
On the team's offense from Game 1 to Game 2:
"I thought (Texas Wesleyan's starter) did a really good job of doing what he does. We kept hitting ground balls. We hit some line drives hard, but we hit a bunch of ground balls right to their infielders, and that's what that guy is trying to do. He only had one strikeout but had a bunch of ground-ball outs. That's his game and we didn't adjust to it. Part of the credit goes to him, for sure, but we need to do a better job of making an adjustment on a pitcher like that. In the second game, I thought we had some good at-bats and Payton (Alexander) had a big hit in an RBI situation. Still, overall, I thought it was a pretty lackluster day all around. We expect to be better than that."
Pack Facts
Coach Jeremy Kennedy earned his 450th career win on Saturday, and the third-year Wolf Pack coach currently has 61 wins at Loyola.
Allen Dennis currently has the longest on-base streak on the team at 13 after reaching base in both games on Saturday, and he's now reached base in every game this season.
Dennis also had six at-bats throughout the day, bringing his career total to 637. He's now sixth all-time in program history for that category.
Ross Selvaggi went 1-for-3 in both games, moving his hitting streak to four games. He's now 5-for-12 with a double and a home run in those games.
Garrett Beadle has been successful at the plate, too, reaching base safely in the last six games while putting together a three-game hitting streak. The freshman is now 4-for-11 in the last three games with a double.
Sophomore Stephen Still went seven innings for the second consecutive game in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader, and he recorded a season-high seven strikeouts.
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
