With a little over a month to go before the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference tournament, the Loyola baseball team is preparing for the home stretch of its season. Coach Doc Beeman has stressed all year that this season would be a learning process for his squad, and he said that his team is getting better everyday.
“We are real close to becoming a good team,” Beeman said. “We have 20 games left before the conference tournament, and if we can put it together in that time, we will be tough. The team has really impressed me this year in how hard they play and how they fight to the end.”
The Wolfpack hit a bump in the road Tuesday night, dropping two games to McNeese State at the Cowboy Diamond. The losses dropped the team to 14-18 on the season.
The first game saw McNeese score in every inning of the contest as the Cowboys prevailed, 16-1.
Brian McCaulley, math senior, accounted for the only Loyola run, a sixth-inning solo home run.
The pitching was better in the second game as Loyola pitchers Bobby Alvarez, communications freshman, and David Musch, communications senior, combined to give up only four hits. Musch struck out six batters in the contest. However, the Cowboys scored four runs on those hits and defeated the ‘Pack 4-0. Alvarez took the loss.
Loyola played much better in the first game of a doubleheader against Crichton last Thursday at Segnette Field, taking a 6-2 win.
Finance sophomore Marc Jaynes had a monster afternoon, going 2-for-2 with five RBIs.
Loyola opened the first inning with three straight singles, but Crichton allowed one run to cross home, a force in by a Jaynes walk.
Crichton’s Josh Baty hit a solo home run off Loyola’s Jeff Pippinger to tie the game at 1.
But the game’s deciding scores were created with two outs in the second inning, as Loyola scored three times.
Pippinger (3-3), a criminal justice senior, took the win for Loyola, giving up one run on one hit in four innings. General studies freshman Paul Neill went three innings to pick up his first save of the season.
The second game was not as kind to the ‘Pack, as it saw Loyola fall 13-9.
Loyola starter Jeb Bauer, management senior, took the loss, giving up five earned runs on two hits. Loyola’s bats were led by physics senior Greg Veltri, who went 3-for-5 with one RBI and a run scored.
The first game of the Crichton series was last Wednesday, where Loyola lost 8-0.
Crichton’s Noel Baca threw eight shutout innings in the win for his team.
On March 21, the ‘Pack showed just how good it is when it’s clicking, sweeping Tougaloo in a doubleheader at Segnette Field, 10-0 in each game.
In the first game, communications sophomore James Blakeman and international business senior Roberto Torres combined to pitch a game of shutout ball. Management sophomore Brian Mason and communications senior Kevin Kalina drove in two runs each, and Veltri scored twice in the win. Blakeman (2-2) notched the victory. The contest was called in the sixth due to the ten run rule.
The second 10-0 win for the ‘Pack saw five Loyola arms get in on the action, as they gave up no runs and only one hit.
Neill (3-0) got the win, giving up one hit in two innings of play.
Kalina scored three times in the game.
In a series that took place on March 19 and 20, Loyola was swept by LSU-Shreveport at Maestri Field.
On March 19, the teams played a doubleheader. LSU-Shreveport won the first game 9-0. Pippinger took the loss for Loyola.
The second game saw the Pilots win 5-1. Veltri singled in a run with two outs in the bottom of the third inning to tie the game at one, but LSU-Shreveport opened it up again, taking a 3-1 lead in the fifth. McCaulley took the loss for Loyola.
In the final game of the series, Loyola lost 18-6. Musch (0-2) threw three innings and gave up eight runs in the loss. Loyola had 12 hits in the game and five players with multiple hits.
Beeman said his team is still in solid position to capitalize on its opportunities this year.
“Although we have had our periods of struggle, we are still in the mix in the league and that is a good place to be,” Beeman said.
Ryan Arena can be reached at [email protected].
