No. 23 Loyola baseball completes sweep of Houston-Victoria

VICTORIA, Texas – The Loyola University New Orleans baseball team got some late-inning magic against Houston-Victoria, claiming the 5-4 win on Saturday to complete the three-game sweep. The Wolf Pack is now 13-6 overall after winning seven of their last eight games.

The Pack will continue their play away from home next week, opening Southern States Athletic Conference play at Talladega College on Friday, March 3.

Loyola got on the board first in the third inning with a pair of runs. Brandon Mooney was hit by a pitch with two outs, then Jake Mills singled to put two runners on base with Cole Romero at the plate. The sophomore transfer came through for the Pack, delivering a two-RBI double to center to give Loyola the lead.

The Jaguars got a run in the fifth and two in the sixth to take the 3-2 lead, but Loyola scored three runs in the eighth to switch the lead back in its favor. Mills and Romero got things going with a single and a walk, then Anthony Fernandez made it a 4-3 Wolf Pack lead with a double to left field. Kason Cullins brought home Loyola’s fifth run a few at-bats later with a groundout to plate Fernandez.

UHV made things interesting in the ninth by scoring a run, but Matthew Weil left a base runner stranded to end the game. Weil pitched the final three innings to earn his second win of the season, allowing just one run on four hits with a strikeout. Nathan Monceaux started the game for the Wolf Pack and worked the first six innings, striking out a pair of UHV batters while allowing three runs on six hits.

Pack Facts
The Wolf Pack totaled eight hits, with Jake Mills, Anthony Fernandez, and Kason Cullins all having multiple hits.

Mills also scored two runs, including the go-ahead run off of Fernandez’s double in the top of the eighth.

Romero’s bases-clearing double in the third inning gave him six doubles for the season, a team high.

Mooney and Romero both extended their season-long on-base streaks. Fernandez also has the longest active hitting streak for Loyola, as he’s recorded a hit in each of his 10 games played this year.

Matthew Weil picked up his pitching third win as a member of the Wolf Pack.

Loyola has won at least two games in every series so far this year.