No. 7 Loyola sweeps doubleheader over (RV) IU Southeast

WESTWEGO – The No. 7-ranked Loyola University New Orleans baseball team had another impressive day on the diamond on Friday, defeating (RV) Indiana University Southeast twice, 10-5 and 8-7. The two teams will meet back up on Saturday at 12 p.m. for another doubleheader at Segnette Field. 

Game 1: #7 Loyola 10, (RV) IU Southeast 5 (7)

The Wolf Pack answered IU Southeast's first-inning run with four in the bottom half. Nathan McDonald quickly tied the game with a 402-foot home run over the right-centerfield wall, then Jordan McKenzie and Jovan Swasey kept things going with back-to-back singles. Jed Cambre reached on a fielder's choice, and a steal attempt by Cambre led to a throwing error by the IUSE catcher that scored McKenzie, 2-1. Ayden Authement picked up an RBI on a single to left, 3-1, and Reed Duthu added another RBI with a single through the right side, 4-1. Jaxon Buratt had the final blow of the inning, scoring two more runs, 6-1, after singling to center. 

The Grenadiers scratched into the deficit with a run in the second and another in the fourth inning, 6-3. IUSE had the bases loaded in the fourth with one out, but Cole Bordes got a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play. 

After IU Southeast scored two more in the fifth to make it a one-run ballgame, 6-5, Loyola bounced back with a four-spot in the bottom half of the frame. Lee's single to left field allowed pinch-runner Kash Koontz to slide in under the tag at home, 7-5, and Duthu followed that up with a two-RBI single, 9-5. After Jaxon Buratt tripled, he scored the 10th run on a balk. 

Bordes picked up the win with two relief innings. He struck out two and allowed two earned runs on one hit. Brady Bowen pitched the first three innings with four strikeouts, and Frank Fernandez needed 25 pitches to keep the Grenadiers off the board in the sixth and seventh. 

Game 2: #7 Loyola 8, (RV) IU Southeast 7

IU Southeast scored three runs in the third and one in the sixth, all while holding the Wolf Pack off the board for the first five innings. Trailing 4-0 in the bottom of the sixth, Lee and Ben Harris walked to start the frame, and Buratt delivered the first RBI with a single to center, 4-1. With runners on first and second, JJ Garcia laid down a perfect bunt to load the bases for McDonald. The junior transfer delivered with a line drive grand slam that traveled 362 feet over the left-field wall to give Loyola a 5-4 advantage. 

The Grenadiers, again, took the lead with two runs in the seventh, 6-5, but Loyola, again, answered with three more in the bottom half to regain the lead, 8-6. Buratt, Garcia and McDonald loaded the bases with two singles and a hit-by-pitch, then a sacrifice fly off the bat of Swasey evened the game, 6-6. McKenzie followed that up with a two-RBI double to left-center during the next at-bat to give Loyola an 8-6 lead. 

Jake Cohen picked up his first save of the season by finishing the final 1.2 innings with two strikeouts. After IUSE scored one run in the eighth to cut Loyola's lead to 8-7, Cohen gave up a leadoff double in the ninth to put the tying run on base quickly. He'd get two strikeouts and a pop-up to short to end the game. 

Caden Durand received the win with 1.1 innings of relief work. Hunter Ponson looked good in three relief innings, too, striking out a pair while giving up one earned run on three hits. 

Pack Facts

• Nathan McDonald's go-ahead grand slam in Game 2 was his team-leading fourth home run of the year. 

• Through the Wolf Pack's first eight games, McDonald also leads the team in hits (13) and RBI (13). 

• Making his return to the lineup Friday, Jaxon Buratt has multiple hits in all three of his starts this season. He's amassed seven hits in 10 at-bats for a team-best .700 batting average. 

• Loyola also has three other players with batting averages at .400 or above: Ayden Authement (.467), McDonald (.464), and Jovan Swasey (.400). 

• With three stolen bases in Game 1, Authement now has swiped bags this season, a team high. Jed Cambre also has six stolen bases in six attempts. 

• With four strikeouts in game 1, Brady Bowen now has 203 strikeouts in his career at Loyola. He became just the sixth Loyola pitcher to reach 200 strikeouts in a career. 

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