No. 17 Loyola wins series over Faulkner

NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola University New Orleans baseball team claimed its sixth Southern States Athletic Conference series of the season on Saturday, splitting a pair of games with Faulkner. After the Wolf Pack won the series opener on Friday, the Eagles started Saturday with a 2-0 win before the Pack took the rubber match, 5-4. 

Loyola has four more games left on its schedule, and all four are on the road. First, the Wolf Pack will travel to Lousiana Christian on Tuesday before their last Southern States Athletic Conference series of the season starting Thursday at William Carey. 
 

Game 1: Faulkner 2, #17 Loyola 0

Thomas Hakimian recorded seven strikeouts in his six innings of work. He even recorded a rare four-strikeout inning in the second, as one batter reached base on a dropped third strike. The freshman would strand four Faulkner baserunners throughout his outing while allowing two earned runs on six hits. 
 

In a pitcher's duel, however, the Eagles were the first to score in the sixth inning, 2-0. That score was good enough for the Eagles to hold on for the win as well. The Wolf Pack offense only had four hits, but they had runners in scoring position in five of the seven innings. Eight total Loyola baserunners were stranded in the game, and the Pack had runners in scoring position in the first, second, third, sixth and seventh innings. 
 

Game 2: #17 Loyola 5, Faulkner 4

After the Eagles got on the board first in the third inning, the Wolf Pack pushed two runs across to take a 2-1 lead. Landon Trosclair singled and reached second on an outfield error, then pinch-runner Tucker Ganley got to third on a double to right field by Cole Romero. Both runners later scored on back-to-back ground outs to the right side of the infield. 
 

After Faulkner tied the game, 2-2, in the sixth, Loyola, once again, responded. The Wolf Pack added another two-spot on the board to regain the lead, 4-2. Nathan Monceaux walked to start the frame, then the Eagles got two quick outs. Anthony Fernandez scored the first run on an infield error, and that was followed up by back-to-back singles by Jake Mills and Landon Trosclair, the latter an RBI scoring Fernandez. 
 

Both teams added lone runs in the seventh inning. After the Eagles made it a 4-3 Wolf Pack lead in the top half, Loyola got two runners on base with no outs, then Romero eventually came home, 5-3, when the Faulkner reliever balked. 
 

Monceaux also started the game on the bump for the Wolf Pack and pitched the first five innings while giving up two earned runs on six hits. Matthew Weil got the win in relief after pitching the next 1.1 innings with a run and two hits allowed, as the Eagles made it a 5-4 ballgame in the eighth. Facing more trouble, though, Brady Bowen earned his third save of the season by working the final five outs without giving up a hit. 
 

Pack Facts

• Brandon Mooney had at least one hit in each game and is now at 73 hits this season, tied for seventh on Loyola's single-season hits list. 

• Now with 48 RBI this season, Cole Romero is tied for 10th in the program's single-season RBI list. 

• Brady Bowen got his third save of the season, tied for the 10th-most in the program record book. Bowen, who struck out three batters between the two games of the doubleheader, is up to 55 strikeouts this season through 42.2 innings. 

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.