No. 14 Loyola wins series over Middle Georgia

WESTWEGO – The Loyola University New Orleans baseball team moved its winning streak to eight straight after two wins over Middle Georgia State on Friday at Segnette Field. The 14th-ranked Wolf Pack started the day with a 9-5 win before finishing with an 11-6 victory, and that moves their overall record to 25-8 and Southern States Athletic Conference mark to 12-5. 
 

Loyola will go for the sweep at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
 

Game 1: #14 Loyola 9, Middle Georgia State 5 (7)

Middle Georgia State took a 2-0 lead with a run each in the second and third innings, but the Wolf Pack started to push runs across in the bottom of the third. After Jake Mills singled and Brandon Mooney walked to put two on with one out, Jaxon Buratt singled to center to cut MGA's lead down to 2-1. 
 

The big blow came in the bottom of the fourth, as Loyola scored six runs, all with two outs, to take a 7-2 advantage. Kason Cullins and Landon Trosclair got things started with back-to-back one-out singles, and Mills was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs. A single by Mooney scored the first two runners, 3-2, then an error by the MGA left fielder scored two more, 5-2. Collin Zeringue delivered the final blow with a two-run homer over the left-center wall to make it a 7-2 lead for the Wolf Pack. 
 

The Knights got a three-run homer in the top of the sixth to cut Loyola's lead to 7-5, but the Pack got two more runs in the bottom half. Aaron Davis and Mills started the frame off with a walk and a single, respectively, and then the two stole bases to both get into scoring position. Mooney grounded out to score the first run, and Buratt singled to right to make it a 9-5 lead. 
 

Stephen Still earned career win No. 25, which is the most in program history, with his sixth-inning performance. He allowed the five runs - four earned - on eight hits with four strikeouts. Frank Fernandez pitched the seventh and final inning on just 13 pitches, as a 1-4-3 double play ended the game. 
 

Game 2: #14 Loyola 11, Middle Georgia State 6

The Knights struck first with a pair of runs in the opening frame, but Loyola tied it up with two runs in the bottom of the second. Prescott Marsh, Tyler Durland and Mills loaded the bases with two outs thanks to a fielder's choice and two walks, then Mooney came up clutch with the two-RBI single up the middle to even the score, 2-2. 
 

After MGA scored another run in the third to go back ahead, 3-2, the Pack answered with a five-run bottom half. Zeringue and Landon Manson started the inning with consecutive singles, and both were moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Jed Cambre walked to load the base, followed by another walk for Marsh to tie it up again, 3-3. After a pitching change, Cullins picked up a pinch-hit 2-RBI single, 5-3, then an RBI single by Mills and a sacrifice fly from Mooney pushed the lead to 7-3. Cullins came up big again, this time in the fifth inning. He led off the frame with a solo home run to give the Pack an 8-3 advantage. 
 

Middle Georgia scored three runs in the seventh to get back in it, 8-6, but Loyola answered again, this time with two in the bottom half and one more in the eighth to go back ahead 11-6. Garrett Beadle, who got a pinch-hit single to start the seventh, scored on a Mills sacrifice fly, 9-6, and Cullins scored on a wild pitch, 10-6, during the next at-bat. Another sacrifice fly in the eighth, this time off the bat of Cambre, brought home Landon Trosclair to bring the game to its final score of 11-6. 
 

Payton Cooper earned the win in relief after working four innings with three strikeouts, and Hunter Ponson wrapped things up with the last two innings and two strikeouts. 
 

Pack Facts

• Loyola is now 16-0 this season in games where the team scores at least 10 runs. 

• After setting Loyola's career wins record last weekend, Stephen Still got another win Friday after pitching six innings with four strikeouts. 

• Payton Cooper was credited with his third win of the season, allowing three runs over four innings with three strikeouts. 

• Frank Fernandez and Hunter Ponson closed out both games well, not allowing any runs over three combined innings at the end of their respective games. 

• Brandon Mooney kept his team-high 16-game hitting streak going with a single in the first game and a double in the second. Mooney also drove in three runs in each game, leading the team in RBI on the day. 

• While Jaxon Buratt's hitting streak ended, his on-base streak remains alive, as he's reached first in all 29 of his games so far this season. Buratt's .516 on-base percentage leads the starters. 

• Landon Manson knocked a double into left field in Game 2, his fifth double in the last 10 days. 

• Collin Zeringue's two-run homer in the first game was his team-best fifth long ball of the season. 

• Despite not starting Game 2, Kason Cullins had his best game of the season. Cullins reached base all four times he stepped up to the plate, going 2-for-2 with three runs scored, three RBI, a walk, and a hit by pitch. 

• Jake Mills scored a run after all three of his plate appearances in Game 1, going 2-for-2 at the plate with a hit by pitch and stolen base. 

• Aaron Davis stole a base in the first game Friday, giving him 22 for the season. That ties him for the 10th-most stolen bases in a single season at Loyola. 

• Not far behind Davis in stolen bases this season, Landon Trosclair stole two in Game 2 to make him 19-for-19 on stolen base attempts this season. Mooney is right up there as well with 18 so far this year after 22 last year. 

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