AUBURNDALE, Fla. (March 11, 2023) – Four games are completed for the Loras College baseball team as their time at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational is halfway done.
The Duhawks are 1-3 so far in Florida to bring their season total to 5-3. Loras dropped its first game of the week to No. 23 Aurora University on Wednesday and then fell again to UMass Boston on Thursday before splitting a doubleheader with Saint Joseph's College of Maine on Friday.
Aurora 18, Loras 2 (F/7)
The offense just wasn't there for the Duhawks on day one of the invitational as the 23
rd-ranked Spartans, who are on a tear to start 2023, piled on 18 runs and 18 hits to cruise to a victory.
After three first-inning runs for Aurora, the Duhawks got a pair of unearned runs in the top of the second to keep things close, but an eight spot for the Spartans in the fourth opened the floodgates.
UMass Boston 9, Loras 2
It was much of the same for Loras on Thursday morning as it didn't tally its first run against the Beacons until the bottom of the seventh with the Duhawks already trailing by eight. Senior starting pitcher
Matt Jeter allowed three runs over the first two innings to the Beacons, but he settled in nicely and held them scoreless in the next four frames as he struck out four and only allowed two free passes across his 100 pitches.
Loras got on the board in the seventh as senior
Dakota Church hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score senior Tyler Pranksy, but that was all they'd manage despite loading the bases with nobody out.
The Duhawks tried to rally in the ninth as freshman
Jackson Cullen doubled home sophomore
John Cornelius, but it wasn't enough to overcome the nine-run total from the Beacons.
Loras 8, St. Joseph's (ME) 4
The Duhawks got the monkey off their backs in the first game they played on Friday morning as they woke the bats up early to take control of the game with the Monks.
After the Monks tacked on one run in the top of the first, the Duhawks hung a four-spot on them in the bottom half. Five hits in the inning, including RBI knocks from junior
Daniel Rogers, senior
Max Cullen, senior
Ryan Wohlers, and freshman
Cody Sunny put Loras up 4-1 after the first.
Loras tallied another four-spot just two innings later as they smacked four doubles in the inning to take a commanding 8-1 lead. Three passed balls in the inning helped the cause while junior
Nick DiBenedetto, sophomore
Max McCallum, and Rogers were responsible for RBI hits.
Despite a three-run fifth inning for the Monks, those two big innings were enough for the Duhawks to earn their first win of the week as sophomore
Cameron Nohos and freshman
TJ Boyd allowed just three hits over the game's seven innings.
St. Joseph's (ME) 6, Loras 5
The Monks got their revenge in game No. 2 of the doubleheader as they barely held off a late Loras charge in a 6-5 win. Holding a 6-1 lead through the first five innings, the Monks looked to be in control, but the Duhawks made it close with a four-run sixth.
Loras forced a number of pitching and defensive changes in the frame as they tallied four hits and took advantage of one St. Joseph's error to plate their four runs. Senior
Mitch Gruber and freshman
Michael Ray each saw their base hits in the inning plate two runs, but it turned out to just not be enough as the Monks got out of the jam with a one-run lead.
Three more hits loaded the bases in the top of the seventh, but again the Monks' pitching staff did just enough as a strikeout stranded the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position.
The Duhawks have an off day on Saturday before getting back to action on Sunday, March 12, with a 4 P.M. ET game against Hamilton College in Davenport, Fla.
