No. 7 Baseball opens SSAC play Friday

NEW ORLEANS  – The No. 7 Loyola Wolf Pack began Southern States Athletic Conference play on Friday, splitting a doubleheader with Thomas University. Loyola won the first game, 2-1, before losing the nightcap, 7-0. 
 

The two teams will meet back up at Segnette Field at 1 p.m. on Saturday for the rubber match. 
 

GAME 1: #7 Loyola 2, Thomas 1 (7)

A combination of Michael Hotard, Frank Fernandez, and Jake Cohen got it done for the Wolf Pack on the mound in the series opener. Hotard earned his third win of the season, Cohen got his fourth save, and Fernandez bridged the gap in the setup role. Hotard gave up a run in the first inning, but finished the game with a couple of strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work. Fernandez got the hold by pitching the next 1.1 innings with two strikeouts, and Cohen struck out one in the final 1.1. 
 

After the Night Hawks quickly took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, the Pack tied the game in the second. Drew Lee led off the frame with a single, and courtesy runner Kash Kootz got into scoring position with a stolen base. With runners on the corners, John Lewis laid down a squeeze bunt to bring home Kootz, 1-1. 
 

Loyola took the lead for good in the fourth. Mike Latulas walked to start the inning, and pinch runner Ben Harris eventually got to third on a balk and a fly out. JJ Garcia got the run home on an infield single, 2-1. 
 

The trio of Wolf Pack pitchers had to work out of a couple of jams throughout the game. Hotard stranded the bases loaded in the second, got an inning-ending double play in the third, and left a guy in scoring position in the fourth to keep Thomas off the board. Fernadez entered to pitch in the fifth and needed just three pitches to get another inning-ending double play, and Cohen got out of another bases-loaded situation in the sixth before a 1-2-3 seventh inning. 
 

GAME 2: Thomas 7, #7 Loyola 0

Thomas scored five runs in the second inning to jump out to a big lead early. Brady Bowen put up a valiant effort in relief to hold Thomas off the board after that. He entered to pitch in the second inning and put zeros on the board in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings while giving up just one hit during that time and facing the minimum in all four of those innings. 
 

The Night Hawks made it a 6-0 lead with an unearned run in the seventh, scoring on a passed ball. Bowen gave up his first earned run in the ninth, as Thomas extended its lead to 7-0. Bowen finished his seven-inning outing with three strikeouts and no walks allowed. 
 

The Wolf Pack bats only had three hits in the contest, and walked three times, as they didn't have many chances with runners in scoring position. Loyola had a runner caught stealing at third in the third inning, left the bases loaded in the fifth, and left two on base in the ninth.

Pack Facts

• Michael Hotard collected his team-high third win of the season in Game 1 Friday. He threw 4.1 innings while only allowing one run.

• Frank Fernandez and Jake Cohen combined to hold the Night Hawks scoreless the rest of the way in Game 1, with Cohen earning his fourth save of the year. 

• Brady Bowen completed seven innings in Game 2 in relief while only giving up one earned run. His 212 strikeouts are the fourth most in a career in Wolf Pack history. 

• With a hit in each game Friday, Drew Lee now has a six-game hitting streak, currently the longest on the team.