Loyola baseball now 12-2 after Tuesday’s win over SUNO

The Loyola Wolf Pack baseball team took care of crosstown foe SUNO for their 12th win of the season

WESTWEGO – The Loyola University New Orleans baseball team improved to 12-2 this season with an 11-1 run-rule win over Southern University at New Orleans Tuesday night. The Wolf Pack will hit the road for their next Southern States Athletic Conference, traveling to Blue Mountain Christian for a series starting on Friday.

The Wolf Pack made a statement to start the game, scoring three runs in the first inning and four in the second. Brandon Mooney got the opening frame started with a leadoff walk, then moved to third on a groundout and a stolen base. He made the score 1-0 when Marcus Steen grounded out to second. Collin Zeringue walked to start a two-out rally, and he stole second to get into scoring position quickly. Prescott Marsh came through with an RBI single, then pinch-runner Tucker Ganley scored, 3-0, off an Anthony Fernandez double.

Jake Mills led off the second inning with a double, and he easily scored, 4-0, when Mooney tripled during the next at-bat. Mooney came home one batter later, 5-0, and another triple by Zeringue scored Steen, 6-0, who doubled during the at-bat prior. Fernandez picked up another RBI two batters later, hitting a sacrifice fly to plate Zeringue and give Loyola a 7-0 lead.

SUNO scored its first run in the top of the third, but Loyola got that run back in the bottom of the fourth. Zeringue doubled down the left-field line to start the frame, and he scored on a passed ball by the SUNO catcher, 8-1. Another passed ball in the fifth inning made it a 9-1 lead, scoring Buratt, then Zeringue collected an RBI on a slow groundout to the pitcher, 10-1.

The Wolf Pack brought the run rule into play in the seventh inning. Ryan Smilari and William Issac walked and Tyler Durland was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Zeringue pushed across the game-ending run, 11-1, with a sacrifice fly to center.

Marsh got his first career collegiate start on the bump and threw three solid innings with a couple of strikeouts. Thomas Hakimian got the win in relief with two strong innings while giving up just one hit, and Carter Holstein and Christian Callender each threw an inning with one and two strikeouts, respectively.

Pack Facts
• This was the seventh game this season with double digits in the score column for the Pack. Eight players combined for the team’s nine hits in the game, and 19 different players recorded a plate appearance on the night.
• Ryan Smilari, Tyler Durland, Jonathan Hammer, Carter Holstein, and William Isaac all played their first game of the season for the Pack, with Smilari scoring the run that secured the run-rule victory.
• Collin Zeringue hit a double and a triple, his first of the season, with three runs scored and three RBI, both of which were season highs.
• Loyola’s seven stolen bases during the game are tied for a team high this season, as the team also stole seven bases against Bryant and Stratton last Tuesday.
• Aaron Davis stole two bases and is now 10-for-10 in stolen base attempts this season.
• Jaxon Buratt kept his hitting streak going with a single in the fifth. He’s now had at least one hit in eight consecutive games. He also stole a pair of bases and is 6-for-6 on his attempts this season, second on the team.
• Buratt leads the team with 16 hits and a .471 batting average this season. Behind him, four different players are tied for second with 14 hits: Jed Cambre, Jake Mills, Prescott Marsh, and Brandon Mooney.

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