The Loyola baseball team built some positive momentum this past week, winning two of three games over Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opponent William Carey over the weekend and beating Alcorn State 14-6 Wednesday afternoon.
The first game of the William Carey series was on Friday night at Segnette Field where the Wolfpack scored six runs in the sixth inning and won 7-6, coming back from a four-run deficit.
Carey was leading 4-0 in the fifth inning when management senior Brad Rodrigue hit a solo home run. In the next inning, math senior Brian McCaulley highlighted the scoring, nailing a three-run homer. The Wolfpack scored six runs on its four hits in the inning.
“We have been living and dying by the big inning this year and this time, a six-run inning was all we needed,” Loyola head coach Doc Beeman said. “Also, Frat [Matt Franatovich] came out and calmed down the Carey bats.”
Franatovich, visual graphics senior, gave up three hits and two runs, one earned. Starter Jeff Pippenger, criminal justice senior, gave up four runs in four innings.
The doubleheader Saturday was a tale of two different games. The first game was a wild 18-17 Loyola win, while the second was a comparatively subdued 3-0 Carey victory.
Loyola captured the first game in the tenth inning, as finance sophomore Marc Jaynes singled and brought management senior David Sudyka home for the 18th and game-deciding run.
Loyola scored in every inning of the game but one. The ‘Pack had a season high 22 hits, and every Loyola starter had at least one hit in the
contest.
Communications freshman Bobby Alvarez (1-1) won the game in relief, giving up four runs on three hits in 4.1 innings. Communications sophomore James Blakeman started and took a no-decision, giving up six runs, four earned, on five hits in 2.2 innings of work.
“I was thinking please let this end,” Beeman said. “It wasn’t good baseball, but it was fun to see our guys come back four times in one game.”
Carey’s Josh Johnson silenced the hot Loyola bats in the second game of the day as he twirled a five hit shutout, 3-0.
“Baseball is a funny game that way,” Beeman said. “Both teams had solid pitching, and both teams seemed a little spent after the first game.”
McCaulley gave up three runs on Carey’s nine hits. He struck out three in the loss. He also went 2-for-4 at the plate.
Loyola now sits at 16-20 overall, and 9-9 in GCAC play.
“We break the season into halves, and we are now 2-1 in the second half,” Beeman said. “All we can control is what we do from game to game. We don’t focus on the standings, just the game or series at hand.”
The Wolfpack’s next opponent is Mobile. They open a two game series tonight. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Ryan Arena can be reached at [email protected].
