Loyola cruises in SSAC Championship opener

JACKSON, Tenn. – The No. 4 seed Loyola University New Orleans Wolf Pack started the Southern States Athletic Conference Baseball Championship on Wednesday, earning a 9-3 win over No. 5 seed Mobile in the first game of pool play. Loyola will now face Blue Mountain Christian at 10 a.m. on Thursday in the second game of Pool A Play. 
 

The Wolf Pack got their tournament started by scoring in the first three innings, building a commanding 7-0 lead. Brandon Mooney and Jaxon Buratt started the game with back-to-back singles to quickly put runners on the corners, then a passed ball moved up the runners to make it a 1-0 score. Landon Manson followed that up with an RBI single, 2-0, and Kason Cullins doubled to right-center to put Loyola on top 3-0 after the opening frame. 
 

Loyola scored two runs each in the second and third innings, too. Mooney got the second-inning rally going with a single and stolen base with two outs, and Buratt brought him home on a single up the middle, 4-0. After he stole second, Manson tripled to right-center to make it a 5-0 lead. Marcus Steen got on base with one out in the third, and pinch-hitter Garrett Beadle picked up an RBI on a single to up the middle, 6-0. Jake Mills notched the second RBI of the inning right after that, 7-0. 
 

Two more runs crossed in the seventh, as Aaron Davis reached with two outs and Mills made it runners on the corners one at-bat later. Mooney and Buratt followed that up with consecutive RBI to push Loyola's advantage to 9-0. 
 

Stephen Still was dealing in Loyola's SSAC Championship opener, giving up just two hits while striking out seven in his six innings of work. He sat down the first seven batters he faced, and he didn't give up a hit until the fourth inning to allow Loyola's offense to jump ahead. Andrew Riedell got the save with three innings of relief work to finish the game. He allowed just one hit with a strikeout during his outing. 
 

Pack Facts

• Loyola has tied its single-season program wins record, now with a 36-15 record on the season. The team has collected at least 30 wins in each of the last four seasons, reaching the 36-win mark in three of the past four years. 

• The Pack's 17 hits against Mobile were the second-most for the team in any game this season and the most against an NAIA opponent. 

• Eight different Wolf Pack players combined for the 17 hits, with five (Brandon Mooney, Jaxon Buratt, Landon Manson, Kason Cullins, Jake Mills) posting multiple hits. 

• Fantastic pitching for the Wolf Pack only allowed Mobile to muster three hits for the game, their worst hitting performance of the season.

• Stephen Still pitched his ninth win of the season, giving up just two hits across six scoreless innings while only walking one batter and striking out seven.

• Still's nine wins this season rank as the second-most in program history. He also now has 80 strikeouts this year and now holds the top three spots in the Wolf Pack record book for most strikeouts in a single season. 

• Jaxon Buratt, who led the conference with a .420 batting average this season, went 4-of-5 at the plate with two runs scored and two RBI. It was his first four-hit game of the season. 

• Brandon Mooney went 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI. Jake Mills also had three hits, going 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI.

• Buratt now has the sixth-most runs scored in a single season at Loyola with 56. Mooney also became the first Wolf Pack player to score 70 runs in one season. 

• Kason Cullins and Landon Manson each had two hits, with Cullins hitting his ninth double of the year. 
   

SSAC Baseball Championship Schedule

Live Stats | Tickets | Watch Live
 

Pool A: #1 Faulkner, #4 Loyola, #5 Mobile, #8 Blue Mountain Christian
Pool B: #2 William Carey, #3 Point, #6 Middle Georgia, #7 Thomas
 

Wednesday, May 1
10 am | #4 Loyola 9, #5 Mobile 3
1 pm | #8 Blue Mountain 15 #1 Faulkner, 5
4 pm | #6 Middle Georgia 15, #3 Point 4
7 pm | #2 William Carey 9, #7 Thomas 5
 

Thursday, May 2
10 am | #8 Blue Mountain (1-0) v. #4 Loyola (1-0)
1 pm | #1 Faulkner (0-1) v. #5 Mobile (0-1)
4 pm | #7 Thomas (0-1) v. #3 Point (0-1)
7 pm | #2 William Carey (1-0) v. #6 Middle Georgia (1-0)
 

Friday, May 3
10 am | #5 Mobile v. #8 Blue Mountain
1 pm | #4 Loyola v. #1 Faulkner
4 pm | #6 Middle Georgia v. #7 Thomas
7 pm | #3 Point v. #2 William Carey
 

Saturday, May 4 
1 pm | Championship: Pool 1 Champ v. Pool 2 Champ

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