Box Score The Wolf Pack baseball team has now 10 of their last 11 games after Friday's win over Talladega
METAIRIE – The Loyola University New Orleans baseball team kept things rolling on Friday, as it hosts Talladega College for a three-game Southern States Athletic Conference series. The Wolf Pack took Game 1 from the Tornadoes 15-4 in seven innings at John Ryan Stadium, and the two teams will play a doubleheader at Mike Miley Field on Saturday starting at noon.
The win was Loyola's sixth straight, and seventh straight in SSAC play, improving its record to 28-17 overall and 13-6 in league play. It was also the team's 10th win in their last 11 games.
Talladega struck first with a lone run in the first inning, and after three straight scoreless frames to start the game, the Wolf Pack offense finally broke through with 10 runs in the bottom of the fourth. Luke Clement extended his hitting and on-base streaks with a leadoff double in the right-center gap, and the bases got loaded during the next two at-bats after Payton Alexander singled and Garrett Beadle got hit by a pitch. The Talladega pitcher walked in two runs and a bunt single by Gabriel Trastoy gave the Wolf Pack a 3-1 lead. Still hitting with the bases loaded and one out, a passed ball made it 4-1 then back-to-back singles by Kason Cullins and Allen Dennis pushed the score to 6-1. The Wolf Pack loaded the bases again, and, again, the Talladega pitcher walked in a run before a balk scored another, 8-1. A single by Beadle and the inning's fourth bases-loaded walk ended Loyola's scoring, 10-1.
Brenden Taravella did allow the first-inning run, but he shut down the Talladega bats in the second, third and fourth innings to help earn the win. Taravella finished his five innings of work with four strikeouts while giving up four earned runs on five hits.
The Tornadoes were able to get three runs back in the top of the fifth, but Loyola, again, made it a nine-run game with three more runs of its own in the next half-inning. Cullins started the inning off with a bunt single back to the pitcher, and after a walk by Dennis, Alexander doubled to straightaway center to make it an 11-4 game. Back-to-back one-out singles by Beadle and Bohrer pushed two more runs across, 13-4, but the final two outs of the inning were on the base paths to end the frame.
Brett Fisackerly entered to pitch the sixth and was quick to pick up the first two outs via the strikeout. He allowed a two-out single, but it was a relatively easy frame from the senior. After Dennis' two-RBI single in the bottom of the sixth put the 10-run-rule into play, Fisackerly got two more strikeouts and a flyout in the top of the seventh to end the game early.
Pack Facts
The Wolf Pack recorded 16 hits on Friday, the second-highest total of the season.
This was the sixth-straight game with double-digit hits for the Pack, coinciding with the team's six-game winning streak.
Loyola has scored at least 13 runs in five consecutive games.
Every Wolf Pack batter reached base for the first time since March 19 against Blue Mountain.
With his leadoff double in the fourth inning, Luke Clement extended his on-base streak to 23 games. He also has a hit in the last nine contests. Both are the longest active streaks on the team.
Two other Wolf Pack players also have double-digit on-base streaks. Kason Cullins has a streak of 12 games reaching first while Allen Dennis is at 11 games.
Cullins and Dennis tied for the team lead with three hits each during Friday afternoon's contest. Payton Alexander also had three hits, including a double in the fifth inning.
Alexander's double gave him 38 doubles for his career, which is tied for the eighth-most in a career in Loyola history.
Brenden Taravella and Brett Fisackerly each struck out four Talladega batters on Friday. Taravella is at 199 career strikeouts, and needs just six more to tie for second place in Loyola's record book in that category.
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.
