No. 14 Loyola wins series opener

WESTWEGO – The Loyola University New Orleans baseball team moved its winning streak to 11 games on Friday, defeating Mobile, 13-8, in the Southern States Athletic Conference series opener. It's also the eighth straight SSAC win as well, staying tied with Faulkner atop the standings with a 14-5 league mark. 
 

No. 14 Loyola (28-8) answered the two early runs for Mobile with a three-run bottom half of the first. Brandon Mooney and Jaxon Buratt singled and walked to lead off the frame, and a fly out for Landon Manson put runners on the corners with one out. A double steal play worked again for the Wolf Pack, scoring Mooney, 2-1, and an error on the same play allowed Buratt to reach third. A balk was called with runners on the corners to bring home Buratt, 2-2, then Kason Cullins singled home Jed Cambre, 3-2, who walked during the previous at-bat. 
 

The Pack pushed another run across in the third inning thanks to a sacrifice fly from Cullins, but the Rams scored two in the fourth to tie the game, 4-4. The Wolf Pack responded, however, with two runs in the bottom of the fourth and three more in the fifth to jump back ahead. Collin Zeringue and Cambre came through with back-to-back RBI to break the tie in the fourth, 6-4, then Brandon Mooney got the scoring started in the fifth with an RBI to left-center, 7-4, followed by a sacrifice fly off the bat of Buratt, 8-4, and an RBI double down the left-field line by Manson, 9-4. 
 

Mobile got a run each in the seventh and eighth innings to cut Loyola's lead to 9-6, but the Wolf Pack put the game away with a four-run eighth inning. Cullins, Payton Cooper and Aaron Davis walked to load the bases with no outs, and another sacrifice fly, this time off the bat of Mills, made it a 10-6 lead. Mooney came through with a two-RBI single during the next at-bat, 12-6, and Buratt singled one batter later to finish off Loyola's scoring, 13-6. 
 

The Rams added two runs in the ninth to make it a 13-8 ballgame, but Christian Callender entered to pitch with the bases loaded and got the final three outs. 
 

Stephen Still earned his team-high seventh of the season with six strong innings. He struck out six while allowing the four earned runs on six hits. 
 

Pack Facts

• Loyola's 13 runs are tied for the third-most runs scored by the team this season. The team's 14 hits were also the third most in a game this season. 

• The Wolf Pack's 11-game winning streak is the longest of the season so far. 

• The Pack improved to 19-0 when scoring double-digit runs. 

• Brandon Mooney led all players with four hits on the night, going 4-of-6 at the plate with three runs, three RBI, and three stolen bases. It was his second game of the year with at least four hits. 

• Five different players had multiple hits on Friday, including Mooney, with Jaxon Buratt, Collin Zeringue, Jed Cambre, and Jake Mills all recording two hits in the contest. 

• Mooney, Cambre, and Landon Manson all hit doubles in the game. 

• Stephen Still picked up his seventh pitching win of the season, and program-high 26th of his career, after pitching six innings with six strikeouts. His seven wins this season are tied for the eighth most in a season in program history. 

• Christian Callender has closed out both games this week for the Pack, recording three outs in the same fashion in each game - infield fly, strikeout, and flyout to right field. 

• Kason Cullins drove in two runs, bringing his career total to 101. He also stole a pair of bases, giving him 45 for his career - tied for the eighth-most in program history.