No. 9 Baseball earns 20th win

WESTWEGO – The Loyola University New Orleans baseball team found itself in a hole early on Tuesday, but the Wolf Pack scored nine unanswered runs to get the 9-5 win at Segnette Field. Loyola is now 20-9 overall, and it'll enter this weekend's series with Mobile (11-16, 5-4 in SSAC) with a 5-4 Southern States Athletic Conference record.  
 

The Badgers scored a run in the first and put up a four-spot in the top of the fourth to make the score 5-0 before Loyola could get on the board. 
 

After stranding five base runners in the first three innings, Loyola was finally able to push runs across in the fourth. Jovan Swasey singled to lead off things, then John Lewis and JJ Garcia walked and was hit by a pitch, respectively, to load the bases. After a pitching change, Jaxon Buratt was hit by a pitch to plate Loyola's first run, then back-to-back walks for Nathan McDonald and Reed Duthu made the deficit two, 5-3. 
 

The Pack scored three more runs in the next inning to take their first lead of the game, 6-5. Drew Lee started the fifth-inning rally with a one-out double over the right fielder's head, and a walk for Lewis and a bunt single for Garcia loaded the bases two batters later. Cambre brought the first run home on a groundout, 5-4, then a balk for the SHC pitcher scored another, 5-5. Buratt's single to left field scored the third run of the frame. 
 

Thomas Hakimian entered to pitch in the fourth inning, and he earned the win with four relief innings. He allowed the final earned run in that frame, but put zeros on the board in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings with four strikeouts. Frank Fernandez pitched the eighth and ninth innings, as he received the save after coming into the game with Loyola ahead by one, 6-5. He only needed 16 pitches to record the six outs as well. 
 

The Wolf Pack used three Spring Hill errors and a couple of hits to add three insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth. Duthu picked up an RBI single to score the first run, 7-5, and he came home on a double steal play with Tanner Powell, 8-5. Powell later scored an unearned run on a failed pickoff attempt by the SHC pitcher, 9-5.  
 

Pack Facts

• Thomas Hakimian earned his 15 career pitching win on Tuesday, moving him into a tie with Brenden Taravella and Joseph Kuchler for eighth on Loyola's all-time wins list. 

• Frank Fernandez picked up his first save of the season, and it's the eighth of his collegiate career. That places him in sole possession of fourth on Loyola's all-time saves list. 

• Reigning SSAC Player of the Week Jaxon Buratt started the game with a double, then finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBI. The performance elevated his season batting average to .368, good for second on the team, and he's now third on the team with 24 RBI. 

• Jovan Swasey went 2-for-4 at the plate with a walk, a run, and a stolen base. 

• The new RBI leader on the team this season is Reed Duthu, who went 1-for-4 in the game with a walk and a run scored while driving in two runs. He also stole two bases, a game high. 

• John Lewis and JJ Garcia each scored a game-high two runs Tuesday.