WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (Duhawks.com) - The bats came alive for Loras Baseball on Friday as they handed MSOE a 12-7 loss on day two of their spring trip. Sophomore Cole Reeg was a home run shy of the cycle, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs.

In his first start of the season, junior Patrick Walsh threw six innings of four-hit ball, allowing one earned run and struck out six. The Lombard native had plenty of offensive support, as Loras struck for three runs in the first two innings.

Leading off the bottom of the first, Reeg tripled to the right center gap and came into score on a sacrifice fly by senior Anthony Flattery.

The Duhawks added to their lead in the very next inning thanks to a two-run double by Reeg. After a leadoff single by senior Adam Kennedy and a walk by sophomore Luke Leibforth, Reeg blasted his second extra base hit of the day, driving in two runs to make it 3-0.

Loras held their three-run lead through the third before the Raiders plated two runs in the fourth. After a senior Danny Fahlgren scored on a wild pitch in the home half of the fourth, MSOE kept their offense churning, scoring again in the fifth.

This time, it took Loras a full inning to answer, but they did so in a big way, plating two in the bottom of the sixth. A single by Reeg drove in his third run of the day. Walsh roped a double to left field, which scored both Reeg and Flattery, to extend Loras' lead to four.

Leading 7-4 in the bottom of the eighth, the Duhawks rattled off five runs on two hits, pushing their lead to eight. With the Raiders bringing their infield in, sophomore Tony Heiser sent a high chopper over the head of Jake Roberts, MSOE's first baseman and into right field, scoring Walsh and Flattery.

The Raiders battled valiantly to the end, scoring three in the top of the ninth, but in the end, Loras held on for the 12-7 win.

Game Changer
The Duhawks got the bats going from the very start, tallying four hits and two runs in the first two innings

Key Stat
Loras hit .441 as a team on the day, 200 points better than their counterparts

Notable

Quotable
Carl Tebon, head coach

"It's always good when you get 15 hits in a game, so I thought our hitters were aggressive at the plate and it paid off. We had an opportunity to see some guys in the lineup and how they can fit into our team strategy this season."

Up Next
The Duhawks continue their spring trip on Saturday when they face Beloit College at 4 p.m. Live stats will be available courtesy Beloit College Sports Information.