No. 15 Loyola beats No. 2 GGC

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The No. 15 Loyola baseball team opened the weekend with a big win over No. 2 Georgia Gwinnett on Saturday, defeating the Grizzlies, 10-8, with six late-inning runs. The Pack (17-6) is set for two games on Sunday, first playing Talladega College at 10 a.m. CDT before a rematch with the GGC at 1 p.m. CDT. 
 

Loyola got the scoring started with a run in the first inning, as Brandon Mooney singled to lead off the game. Collin Zeringue singled two batters later to put runners on the corners, then a double steal brought Mooney home. The Grizzlies, though, scored one in the first, two in the second and another in the third to go ahead 4-1. 
 

The Pack finally pushed another run across in the fifth inning, as Zeringue singled to right field to score Jake Mills and make the score 4-2. Garrett Beadle came through in a pinch-hitting opportunity in the sixth inning with Mooney and Prescott Marsh both on base. A double by the junior scored the two runs to tie the game, 4-4, then Loyola took the lead with two more runs in the eighth inning, 6-4. Marsh started that inning with a single through the right side, and he moved to third base on two groundouts. Jake Mills brought him home, and Jed Cambre scored Mills on a double down the left-field line. 
 

Georgia Gwinnett wouldn't go down that easily, however, as the hosts scored four runs in the bottom half of the inning to go back ahead, 8-6. Neither would the Wolf Pack, though, and they answered those runs with four of their own in the top of the ninth. Jaxon Buratt got the rally going with one out, then Marsh walked to put two on with two outs. Pinch-hitter Nathan Monceaux was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and a double by Mooney scored the three base runners to give Loyola a 9-8 advantage. Cambre came up to the plate to collect the last RBI, singling home Mooney to bring the game to its final score, 10-8. 
 

Frank Fernandez earned the win after pitching the final 1.2 innings. The freshman only allowed one while pitching a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth. Stephen Still started the game and threw six strong innings with four strikeouts. He allowed four runs - two earned - on six hits to give the Loyola bats a chance. 
 

Pack Facts

• This is Loyola's second win over Georgia Gwinnett in the last two seasons, with Gwinnett being ranked in the top five in the NAIA in each matchup.

• Frank Fernandez picked up his third pitching win of the season. The freshman is now 3-0.

• Loyola's 16 hits were its most against an NAIA team this season. 

• This was the 11th game this year in which the Pack scored at least 10 runs. Loyola is 11-0 in those contests. 

• Brandon Mooney posted his best hitting game of the year, going 4-for-6 at the plate with three runs scored and a bases-loaded double which drove in three runs. 

• Collin Zeringue was 3-for-5 at the plate, his fourth game this year with at least three hits. 

• Jake Mills, Jed Cambre, and Jaxon Buratt all recorded two hits against the Grizzlies.