WALESKA, Ga. – The No. 13-ranked Wolf Pack baseball team competed in the Championship Round of the NAIA National Championship Opening Round on Wednesday. Loyola faced off with Ave Maria (Fla.), falling to the Gyrenes in a close 9-8 contest. The two teams will rematch on Thursday at 11 a.m. CDT in a winner-takes-all contest for a trip to the NAIA World Series.
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The Pack made a statement in the first inning, started by Brandon Mooney reaching first base on an error. After Myles Liggans advanced Mooney to second, a single by Garrett Felix, along with another error by the Gyrenes, set up two runners in scoring position. A third error by the defense allowed Mooney to score the first run, then Landon Manson singled to bring Felix home, 2-0. In the next at-bat, Marcus Steen hit a three-run homer to finish a strong first inning for the Wolf Pack, 5-0.
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Ave Maria answered in the bottom of the first with three runs of its own. The Gyrenes added two more runs to tie the game at 5-5. After Cole Romero walked to start the third and advancing to second base on a wild pitch, Manson singled to left center, putting runners on the corners. Romero scored in Steen's next at-bat to go up, 6-5. Ave Maria plated another run in the third to even the score, 6-6. In the fourth, the Gyrenes took their first lead of the game, 7-6. Two more runs in the bottom of the fifth for Ave Maria extended the advantage to three, 9-6.
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In the seventh frame, a hit by pitch, followed by a walk put Mooney on second and Liggans on first. A single to center field from Felix brought Loyola's all-time runs leader home, 9-7. Manson singled to send Liggans to home, getting the score within one, 9-8. After Caden Durand retired six batters in the seventh and eighth innings, the Gyrenes held on to force a final matchup on Thursday.
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Pack Facts
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Garrett Felix, Landon Manson, Marcus Steen, and Drew Lee all had multiple hits in Wednesday's game to account for the Pack's nine hits.
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Manson led the team, going 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI.Â
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Steen's first-inning home run was his third of the season. He also became the fifth Wolf Pack player to reach 40 RBI this season.
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Felix now has 78 hits this season, which is tied for the sixth most in a season in program history.
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Opening Round Schedule
Monday, May 12
Game 1 | #2 Loyola def. #3 Oakland City, 7-4
Game 2 | #1 Reinhardt def. #4 Ave Maria, 12-5
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Tuesday, May 13
Game 3 | #4 Ave Maria def. #3 Oakland City, 11-9 (14)
Game 4 | #2 Loyola def. #1 Reinhardt, 7-6
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Wednesday, May 14
Game 5 | #4 Ave Maria def. #1 Reinhardt, 11-4
Game 6 | #4 Ave Maria def. #2 Loyola, 9-8
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Thursday, May 15
Game 7 | 11 a.m. CDT | #4 Ave Maria vs. #2 Loyola
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