The ice has melted off the Loyola baseball team’s cold start. The Wolfpack has won four of its last five games, punctuated with a 17-7 throttling of Centenary on Saturday afternoon.
Playing at Centenary’s Shehee Stadium, Loyola scorched the ball for 15 hits. Trailing 2-0 after two innings, the ‘Pack blew the game wide open with a six-run third inning and four runs in the fourth. The team added seven runs in the ninth inning to cap off its biggest offensive outburst of the season.
“We knew that we were going to go up swinging the bat and took a real aggressive approach,” Coach Doc Beeman said. “We struck out a little more than usual, but in the end, it worked out well.”
Finance sophomore Marc Jaynes highlighted the scoring run with a three-run triple, and went 3-for-5 on the game with five RBIs. Communications senior Kevin Kalina also had a big day going 3-for-5, knocking in three runs and scoring three of his own.
Every Wolfpack starter collected a hit in a total team effort, and management senior David Sudyka, physics senior Greg Veltri and management sophomore Brian Mason had multiple hits in the victory.
Mathematics senior Brian McCaulley (1-0) picked up the win. The starter gave up three runs on five hits in five innings. He struck out three and walked two.
Beeman was pleased with his team’s resilience.
“This team is still learning how to win,” he said. “The most impressive fact is that after losing a heartbreaker in the night game at Centenary, we came out ready to play just 14 hours later.”
The game Beeman referenced was a hard fought 5-4 loss the previous night. Centenary’s Jonathan Colgin punched in a game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth inning to snap Loyola’s previous three-game winning streak.
Mason had hit a two-run single to give Loyola a 4-3 lead at the top of the inning. Veltri went 2-for-3 and scored a run, while communications senior Hudson Miller went 2-for-4 and scored a run. Communications sophomore James Blakeman started and received a no decision after giving up three runs on four hits. Closer Brian Sullivan, communications junior, (0-3) took the loss.
While hitting was the key in Loyola’s last victory, pitching ruled the day in the team’s doubleheader sweep of Northwood. Loyola won the first contest 6-0, as criminal justice senior Gian Balsamo (1-0) pitched a complete game shutout. He gave up five hits and struck out six.
David Lauricella went 2-for-3, including a two-run double. Mason also had an RBI single, and McCaulley went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
The second game was highlighted by management senior Brad Rodrigue, whose three-run homer sparked the team to a 5-2 win. Criminal justice senior Jeff Pippenger (1-1) took the win, allowing two runs on six hits. Sullivan picked up his first save of the season. Rodrigue, Mason, Jaynes and communications sophomore Andy Rodriguez all had two hits in the contest.
“We had strong starting pitching the last five games and that has allowed us to be more aggressive at the plate,” Beeman said. “Those pitchers simply threw strikes and changed speeds. When you do that, you will be successful.”
The ‘Pack downed Spalding two weeks ago, 5-2, to notch what would be its first win of the season.
In the game’s seventh inning, Loyola did its damage. A wild pitch and a bases loaded walk allowed the tying and go-ahead scores for Loyola, and back-to-back singles by Mason and Trey Fury, general studies junior, gave the team the lead for good. Blakeman picked up the win in relief, giving up one run on eight hits and striking out three. Mason and Fury each went 3-for-4 with an RBI to lead the offense.
The Wolfpack’s fourth game of the season ended in disappointment, a 15-6 loss to Louisiana College. Sudyka was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, with his first home run of the year. Pippenger took his first loss of the year, giving up six runs on seven hits.
The ‘Pack now rides the momentum of its newfound winning ways to Hattiesburg to open Gulf Coast Athletic Conference play against William Carey. The game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. tonight.
Ryan Arena can be reached at [email protected].
