AUBURNDALE, Fla. (March 14, 2023) – Eight games later and the Loras College baseball team has finished its spring trip as the Duhawks dropped a close game to Bethel University on Tuesday morning in Auburndale, Fla.
The Duhawks will come back to Dubuque with a 7-5 overall record after finishing a tough week of games with a 3-5 record at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. Loras has played four games since Sunday, including a doubleheader on Monday against Concordia College (Minn.).
Loras 9, Hamilton 4
The Duhawks started the week right on Sunday as their victory over Hamilton College gave them their second win of the weekend after a 1-3 start. Junior
Daniel Rogers kickstarted the Loras offense in the top of the fourth inning as his leadoff homer gave Loras a 1-0 lead.
The Continentals got one run back in the top of the fifth, but again the Duhawks' offense kept things rolling in the bottom half as they plated six runs on six hits against the new Hamilton pitcher. Sophomore
Max McCallum and senior
Max Cullen each notched two-RBI doubles in the inning to send the Duhawks to a 7-1 lead.
The two sides traded two-run innings in the sixth while the Continentals added another in the seventh, but that big fifth inning was more than enough for Loras in a 9-4 win.
Loras 4, Concordia 1
Loras made it back-to-back wins by taking game one of its doubleheader with Concordia on Monday morning. This scheduled seven-inning game went scoreless through the first six innings as Duhawk starter
TJ Boyd was on his game and dueled a pair of Cobbers pitchers.
The Duhawks had five hits in the game leading into the seventh inning, but finally broke through as pinch-hitter
Cody Sunny doubled to lead off the inning. The freshman then moved to third on a bunt single from senior
Mitch Gruber before McCallum reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases.
Two more hits in the inning, including an RBI single from junior
Nick DiBenedetto and a two-RBI single from graduate student
Dakota Church helped Loras jump out to a 4-0 lead.
Boyd nearly went the distance, but the Cobbers plated one run with an RBI double and brought the game-tying run to the plate. Graduate student closer
Ethan Peters came on for the save, striking out the only batter he faced for his second save in as many appearances this season. The freshman Boyd more than earned his first career win by going 6.2 innings while allowing just one earned run on six hits and no walks.
Concordia 5, Loras 2
Rogers got Loras started early in game two as he blasted another solo home run in the bottom of the first, but the Duhawk bats went cold after that as they went hitless from innings 2-6.
In the meantime, the Cobbers tied the game with a single run in the third before hanging a four-spot on the board in the fourth inning as they tallied four hits and took advantage of one Loras error. Freshman
Michael Ray brought home one Loras run in the bottom of the seventh to cut into the lead, and the Duhawks even brought the tying run to the plate in the inning, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the Loras bid for a doubleheader sweep.
Bethel 6, Loras 2
Tuesday morning started out much the same as Cullen's RBI single put Loras up 1-0 in the top of the first after the Duhawks tallied three hits in the frame. After those three knocks, Loras totaled just four more over the next eight innings.
In turn, Bethel notched four runs in the bottom of the second inning to take command of the game until the eighth inning when Loras notched its second run. That charge wasn't enough as two more Bethel runs in the eight sealed the deal.
Loras is back in the Midwest this weekend as the Duhawks and Cobbers meet up for a single game at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings, on Saturday, March 18 at 5:30 P.M.
