Box Score The Loyola baseball team scored six runs in the top of the ninth to claim the series over Blue Mountain College
BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. – The Loyola University New Orleans baseball team used two big innings to claim a 14-7 win over Blue Mountain College on Sunday, and that gave the Wolf Pack their second straight series win over a Southern States Athletic Conference opponent.
Loyola is now 17-14 overall and 5-4 in SSAC play, and it'll host Mobile next weekend for another SSAC three-game series at Segnette Field. Game 1 of that series is set for 6 p.m. on Friday, March 25. Tuesday's originally scheduled game against Louisiana Christian has been postponed until Tuesday, April 26.
After the Toppers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, Loyola answered with two runs in the second inning to take its first lead of the game. Tucker Ganley singled and Gabriel Trastoy walked with one out, then an RBI single by Christopher Bohrer knotted the game at 1-all. A couple of at-bats later, Kason Cullins, who pinch ran for Trastoy, scored on a wild pitch to make it a 2-1 Wolf Pack lead.
Blue Mountain appeared to take control of the game with three runs in the fourth inning, 5-2, but Loyola wasn't done. The Pack scored six runs in the sixth inning to regain the lead, 8-5. Luke Clement and Cameron Trosclair opened the frame off with back-to-back singles with no outs, and Ganley walked to quickly load the bases. A groundout by Trastoy brought the first run home, and a double by Davis scored two to make it a 5-5 ballgame. Payton Alexander and Allen Dennis hit triples during consecutive at-bats to score the other three runs for the Pack.
The Toppers answered with a pair of runs in the home half of the inning, but that was all they would score for the rest of the game.
Up 8-7 heading into the ninth inning, Loyola blew the game open with six more runs to push its lead to 14-7. Blue Mountain walked Loyola's first three batters, Alexander, Dennis, and Clement, to set up another explosive inning. Trosclair drove in the first two on a single to left, followed by a sac fly from Ganley to score another. Loyola would get three more runs and three more hits in the inning, courtesy of Trastoy, Davis, and a triple from Bohrer.
After the run barrage at the top of the ninth, it was up to Brenden Taravella to close the game out. Taravella allowed no baserunners in the bottom of the inning and collected his ninth career save after pitching the final three innings. Brett Fisackerly earned the win, improving to a 6-0 win-loss record this season, after coming into the game in the fourth inning.
Pack Facts
As a team, Loyola totaled 12 hits, and eight different players recorded a hit for the Wolf Pack, with four of them also having multi-hit games.
Trailing 5-2 after the fourth inning, Loyola plated six runs in the sixth inning and six more in the ninth to complete the comeback.
Allen Dennis and Payton Alexander hit back-to-back RBI triples to give Loyola its lead in the sixth. Dennis and Alexander each have hit seven triples in their Wolf Pack careers, which is tied for the third-most in a career in program history.
Dennis is nearing the top spot for most career at-bats in the record book as well. He's now second all-time in that category with 703 at-bats, one of just two players in Wolf Pack history with over 700 for their career. The top spot belongs to Ryan Moity ('04), who totaled 721 career at-bats.
Alexander also entered Loyola's career at-bats top 10 this weekend. He's totaled 592 at-bats in his career, which is 10th in Loyola history.
Brett Fisackerly was credited with the win on Sunday, bringing his season win-loss record to 6-0. Fisackerly is officially in the top 10 in single-season wins for a Loyola pitcher, as six wins is tied for the ninth-most in a season in the program record book.
Brenden Taravella earned the save after pitching the final three innings. He's got nine saves for his Loyola career, which is third-most in school history and three away from tying the top spot.
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