Todd Ryals

Baseball Splits DH with Loyola

2/17/2017 11:33:00 PM

By: LC Sports Information

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

After an explosive start to the season that got the Louisiana College Wildcats baseball team off to their first 4-0 start since 2003, the Wildcats lost the first game of a double-header on Friday evening to Loyola University of New Orleans at Billy Allgood Field. The Wildcats played a solid game one but fell 2-1, and bounced back to a 9-1 win in the second game of the night. LC opens American Southwest Conference play next weekend with a weekend home series against the University of the Ozarks.

Game 1

The first game of Friday's double-header was a pitchers dual through the entire game. The Wildcats had an opportunity to strike first in the bottom of the first inning, when the first two batters, Sully Martin and Seth Stevens, produced base hits putting runners at first and second with no-out. A deep fly ball to center field was the first out of the inning, and Martin was called out for leaving the base early on the tag, after an appeal from the Loyola dugout, essentially ending any rally that LC was going to put together.

Both pitchers breezed through the second inning, both sides going down in order, then Loyola took advantage of an LC error to score their first run of the game in the top of the third. An error in right allowed the Loyola runner to reach second base with 1-out, and a single moved him to third. A passed ball allowed the runner to score from third, and Wildcats starting pitcher Jacob Buchanan set the next two batters down on strikes to end the inning.

The score remained 1-0 in the Wolf Pack's favor until the bottom of the fifth inning when the Wildcats were able to tie the game. With a runner at second base and 2-out, Sully Martin delivered a sharply hit ball to center field sending Zane Corbell racing around third to slide under the tag of the catcher for the game tying run in the fifth. Another base hit by Seth Stevens put runners at first and second but Kiefer Moore was unable to continue the rally, flying out to deep center to end the inning.

The score remained tied until the top of the seventh inning, when a 1-out double to right put the go ahead run in scoring position for Loyola. After an error at second moved the runner to third, a base hit through the left side brought in the eventual winning run from third for the Wolf Pack. LC got the tying run to third base after a 1-out double from Corbell, but he was left 90-feet away as the final fly ball out was recorded in left field.

Jacob Buchanan put together another quality start going 6.1 innings allowing two runs, one of them earned, on three hits and striking out eight in the tough luck loss. Seth Stevens went 3-for-3 at the plate and Sully Martin and Zane Corbell both had two hits in the game, with Martin driving in the Wildcats only run of the game.

Game 2

The second game of the night moved along quickly through the first two and a half innings, with Loyola getting three hits in their first three trips to the plate but not coming up with the hit to score a run. The Wildcats first six batters of the games were retired in order before Deauton Delgado delivered a lead off opposite field home run to give LC the 1-0 lead after the third inning. Loyola answered right back with a run to tie the game coming off an error and a double to right field two batters later.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the fifth inning when the Wildcats retook the lead when a pitch skipped of the glove of the catcher with the bases loaded, allowing Brodie Falgoust to scamper in from third, giving LC the 2-1 lead. The next two batters were retired leaving runners at second and third in the inning.

LC extended their lead in the next inning thanks to some help from the Loyola pitching staff. With the bases loaded, Walt Aldridge was hit by a pitch, allowing Kiefer Moore to come in to score, who reached on a leadoff walk in the inning. The next run came in on another Wolf Pack passed ball that skipped off the glove of the catcher, allowing Brady Adkins to score, and give LC a 4-1 lead.

The Wildcats added three more runs in the seventh, on an RBI single by Kiefer Moore, a steal of second that allowed Seth Stevens to score from third on the throw down, and an RBI single from Aldridge, to bring around Moore, and give LC a 7-1 lead at the end of the seventh. They added two more runs in the eighth on Moore's second RBI single of the game and a fielder's choice ground ball.

Kiefer Moore went 2-for-4 in the second game with a walk, two runs scored and two RBI. He was the only Wildcats to have more than one hit in the game. Charlie Waddingham and Austin Thompson put together a quality outing for the Wildcats, with Waddingham going 5.0 innings allowing one run on five hits for his second win of the season, and Thompson went 4.0 innings allowing just two hits and striking out six.

The Wildcats continue their season opening home stand next weekend as they open American Southwest Conference play with a three game series against the University of the Ozarks at Billy Allgood Field. The series will start with a single game on Friday night at 6 p.m. and conclude with a double-header on Saturday beginning at 12 p.m. Stay connected to Louisiana College baseball by following @LC_bsb on Twitter or by liking LC Athletics on Facebook.

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