Box Score The Loyola baseball team took a tough loss on Wednesday in the first round of the SSAC Championship
COLUMBUS, Ga. – The No. 2 seed Loyola Wolf Pack baseball team suffered a first-round loss on Wednesday at the SSAC Championship, dropping their first game of the tournament to seventh-seeded Blue Mountain, 14-13. The Pack will now match up against No. 6 seed Mobile in an elimination game on Thursday at Historic Golden Park in Columbus, Georgia. First pitch is scheduled for 9 a.m. CDT.
Both teams put up at least 15 hits in the contest, as the Wolf Pack jumped up seven runs only to see the Toppers battle back with eight runs in the final two frames to win the game.
It all started after Blue Mountain went up 1-0 after the top of the first. Luke Clement and Payton Alexander reached base with two outs on a single and fielder's choice, and an infield error loaded the bases with Jake Mills at the plate. The freshman then delivered the two-RBI single to give Loyola the 2-1 lead after one inning. Clement and Alexander started another scoring rally in the third, leading off the inning with a single and double, respectively. Cameron Trosclair followed that up with a three-run home run over the left-field wall to push the Pack's advantage to 5-1.
The Toppers made it a 5-3 ballgame in the top of the fourth, but Loyola answered with two runs in the next half-inning. After Allen Dennis singled with two outs, Clement came through with a two-run homer to push the lead back out to four, 7-3. Blue Mountain came back with two more runs in the fifth and another in the sixth to cut the score to 7-6, then the Wolf Pack's big sixth inning extended the lead once again. A bunt for a single by Cullins plated the first run, then a double by Clement brought two more runs home. Alexander made it an 11-6 lead with a single during the next at-bat as well.
Back-to-back home runs by Gabriel Trastoy and Aaron Davis made it a 13-6 game, but that's when the Topper made their comeback. They scored six runs in the eighth, 13-12, then two more in the top of the ninth to earn the win.
Pack Facts
With his single in the fourth inning, Allen Dennis officially broke Loyola's all-time hits record. He's now at 242 career hits, the most in Wolf Pack history.
Dennis also moved up into a four-way tie for fourth place on Loyola's single-season runs list. He's crossed home plate 50 times this season.
Another big day at the plate extended Luke Clement's on-base streak to 30 games and his hitting streak to 16 games.
Clement went 4-for-5 with four runs scored, three RBI, a double, and a home run. He's up to nine home runs this season, which is tied for the 10th-most in a season in Loyola history. His batting average for the season is now .415, the highest on the team.
Payton Alexander went 2-for-5 at the plate with a double, two runs scored and two RBI. He's up to 223 career hits, which is fourth all-time in Loyola's record book. He[s also at 39 career doubles, which is the eighth-most in Wolf Pack history.
After collecting two stolen bases in the game, Davis now has 21 this season, tied for ninth-most in a season in Loyola history. Half of his 42 career stolen bases have come this season.
The Wolf Pack combined for four total home runs on Wednesday, with Clement, Cameron Trosclair, Gabriel Trastoy, and Aaron Davis each going yard. The four homers are tied for the most in a game this season for the Pack, a feat the team has achieved four different times.
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
