WESTWEGO – The 14th-ranked Loyola Wolf Pack split Saturday's doubleheader with No. 15 William Carey, but the Crusaders earned the series win after their victory on Friday night. Loyola took the first game of the day, 5-3, before WCU won the nightcap 17-10 in 11 innings.
The Wolf Pack (30-12, 14-7) is now in a four-way tie with William Carey, Thomas, and Abraham Baldwin atop the Southern States Athletic Conference standings with six league games to go in the regular season.
GAME 1: #14 Loyola 5, #15 William Carey 3 (7)
Like Friday night, the Crusaders pushed the first run of the game, but this time it came in the second inning. The Wolf Pack answered to tie the game in the bottom half, after Reed Duthu led off the inning with a double. He moved to third on a single by Tanner Powell, then scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jovan Swasey.
The Crusaders scored two runs in the top of the fourth to go back ahead, 3-1. Loyola got a run in the bottom of the fourth and three more in the fifth to take a 5-3 lead. Powell had an RBI groundout in the fifth, scoring JJ Garcia, 3-2, then Myles Liggans quickly tied in the fifth on a leadoff home run that traveled 348 feet over the left-field wall, 3-3. Nathan McDonald reached base with two outs, then Garcia and Duthu picked up back-to-back RBI singles to score two more runs, 5-3.
James Guidry needed just six pitches in the fifth inning to retire the Crusaders in order, and he got the win with his relief outing. Jake Cohen struck out the side in the sixth and made quick work in the seventh, as the only runner to reach base was on an infield error, to record his program-record 10th save of the season.
GAME 2: #15 William Carey 17, #14 Loyola 10 (11)
The Crusaders, again, scored first in the series finale, plating three runs in the opening frame. The Wolf Pack responded with two runs in the bottom half to stay close, 3-2. Jaxon Buratt reached with a one-out single, and Garcia walked to put two on base. With two outs, Liggans singled to deep short to score the first run, then an error on the same play brought home the second.
WCU scored again in the third, but again, the Wolf Pack answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth. With the bases loaded, a groundout off the bat of Swasey kept it a one-run ballgame, 4-3. When Carey scored in the fifth, not only did the Pack respond with one run, but they scored twice to even the game, 5-5. A double steal play with Jed Cambre at third and Buratt at first scored the first, then a wild pitch later in the inning brought home Buratt and the game-tying score.
The back-and-forth continued in the later innings. WCU scored twice in the sixth, as the Wolf Pack answered with a run in the seventh. After Carey went up 9-6 after eight innings, Loyola got a three-run home run from Nathan McDonald to tie the game and send it to extras. McDonald's ball went 362 feet over the left-field wall, and it was hit 99 miles per hour off his bat. McDonald also scored on a wild pitch in the seventh inning to keep the Pack close.
After neither team scored in the 10th, Carey got an eight-run 11th inning to earn the win. Loyola had a chance to win it in the 10th inning with a runner in scoring position, but a foul-out ended the threat.
Pack Facts
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Nathan McDonald's game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth was his 10th homer of the year. That's tied for the eighth-most in a season in program history.
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Myles Liggans's game-tying solo shot to left in Game 1 Saturday was his first home run at Loyola and third of his collegiate career.
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Jake Cohen picked up his 10th save in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader. He's tied for third on Loyola's career saves list.
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The Wolf Pack clinched a 30-win season with its win in the first game Saturday. Loyola has reached at least 30 wins in each of the last six seasons.
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