WESTWEGO, La. – The Spring Hill College (SHC) Badgers baseball team slugged their way to a 12-6 non-conference victory over Jesuit rival the Loyola University (La.) Wolf Pack on Tuesday night at Segnette Field.
Badger 1
st baseman
Walker Imwalle smacked a 2-run homer in the opening half inning, but the Wolf Pack (30-10) answered right back with a 2-run homer in the bottom half of the frame.
A Loyola single to left-center brought in a run from 2
nd base in the 2
nd inning with two outs as the Wolf Pack claimed a 3-2 lead, but Spring Hill responded by tying the game in the 3
rd with a run-scoring single to right by shortstop
Daniel Rodriguez.
Loyola's Gabriel Trastory put a solo dinger out the yard in the 4
th inning, making it a 4-3 Wolf Pack advantage. SHC once again picked itself up and tied the game in the 7
th inning with an RBI-single to left with one out by center fielder
Joseph Guidry. Later in the inning, with two outs and the bases loaded, Guidry scored from 3
rd base off a failed pickoff attempt by the Loyola catcher and Rodriguez added a 6
th run with a single to left that brought in right fielder
Grayson Williams.
In the bottom of the 7
th inning, it was the Wolf Pack's turn to rally and tie the game at 6-6 with the aid of a two-out miscue by the Badger outfield on a fly ball that plated two scores.
Badger left fielder
Norris McClure, whose misplay just one out earlier had impaired the SHC cause, redeemed himself with a leadoff double in the 8
th and later scored the go-ahead run off a grounder to short by 2
nd baseman
Frankie Timphony.
Designated hitter
Mason Bonnaffons opened the 9
th inning with a solo home run that opened a 5-run floodgate for the Badgers and all but sealed the victory as closer
AJ Fell cruised over the final two stanzas.
SHC reliever
Taylor Gibson moved to 2-1 on the year with 3.1 innings of work that included two hits, two walks and a strikeout. Fell earned his first save of 2021 in 2.0 innings with just one hit and two strikeouts in 25 pitches. Wyatt Lankford (1-2) was saddled with the loss in 1.1 innings with three hits, a walk and no strikeouts.
The Badgers (14-12) will host the University of West Alabama (UWA) Tigers (11-17) in a doubleheader on Friday at 4 p.m. at Hank Aaron Stadium.
