Loyola sweeps doubleheader against Troy
The Loyola Sacred Heart Breakers used a strong fifth inning to top the Lady Trojans in a Western B-C softball contest.
Lady Trojans starting pitcher Kylie Carr got off to a great start, striking out the first batter she faced. However, the Breakers would eventually score two runs to close the inning. Troy’s Aurora Becquart responded with a double into right field which set her up in great scoring position. Brenna Garrison made it count at the next at bat as she smacked the ball into right field to get the RBI single and put the Lady Trojans on the scoreboard.
Both teams went scoreless in the second inning but the third was all about Loyola. The Breakers were able to capitalize on several Troy fielding errors and score four more runs, making the score 6-1 through three innings.
At the top of the fifth inning, Carr again struck out the first batter that she faced but after that Loyola got their bats going. The Breakers racked up six runs in the fifth inning, again mostly off of Lady Trojan fielding errors, and the Breakers were able to seal the game after five innings of play with a final score of 13-1.
In the second game, Loyola only needed one inning to put the Lady Trojans away after they scored 10 runs.
Rebecca Rotolo got the Lady Trojans going when she popped up to the Breakers second baseman who wasn’t able to make the catch and Rotolo used her speed to get the infield single. Rotolo made her way around the bases and looked to take advantage of a catching error by the Breakers when she slid into home and appeared to be safe, but the umpire called Rotolo out and left everyone scratching their heads.
All the momentum shifted toward the Breakers when they piled up 10 runs off Becquart. Lady Trojans head coach Keith Haggerty called a timeout and called upon Garrison to relieve the struggling Becquart.
Both teams went scoreless in the second inning, but only after pitcher Garrison snagged a line drive out of the air to send the teams back to the dugout.
At the top of the fourth inning, Garrison doubled to right field to get Troy started. The Lady Trojans scored two runs in the inning, one from a Lexi Tunison double, which brought in Riley Maggi and the second on a Tana Thill double, bringing in Tunison. Troy at times appeared to be gaining ground, but Loyola continued to bounce back. They scored three more runs to bring the score to 15-2.
At the top of the fifth inning, Becquart tripled to get the Lady Trojans started and Garrison finished the job, bringing home Becquart on an RBI single. Cheyenne Jordan scored Maggi to get Troy’s second and last run of the inning. The game was called due to the 10 run rule and the Loyola Sacred Heart Breakers were the ones leaving Troy with the win.
Game 1:
Loyola- 2 0 4 1 6- 13
Troy- 1 0 0 0
Hanna Hirning (W), and Brianna Mitchell, Kylie Carr (L), Brenna Garrison (5) and Lexi Tunison.
Loyola- Josie Anderson 1-3. Hirning 1-3, Mitchell 2-4, Natalie Goodman 4-4, Jade Combs 1-2, Molly Miltko 2-3, Andrea Lawrence 2-3, Haley Janssen 0-2, Jayne Albrech 1-4.
Troy- Rebecca Rotolo 0-2, Kaitlyn Downey 0-2, Aurora Becquart 1-2, Garrison 1-2, Kylie Carr 0-2, Riley Maggi 0-2, Tana Thill 0-2, Cheyenne Jordan 0-1, Tunison 0-1, Haley Hickman 0-1.
2B- Lawrence, Becquart
Game 2:
Troy- 0 0 0 2 2- 4
Loyola- 10 0 2 3 x- 15
Becquart (L), Garrison and Rotolo, Hirning (W) and Mitchell.
Troy- Rotolo 1-3, Downey 1-1, Becquart 1-3, Garrison 2-3, Carr 1-3, Tunison 1-2, Jordan 1-3, Thill 1-3, Miriah Britton 0-2.
Loyola- Anderson 1-3, Hirning 2-3, Mitchell 2-3, Goodman 1-3, Combs 0-3, Miltko 0-4, Lawrence 2-3, Janssen 0-2, Albrech 0-1.
2B- Hirning, Mitchell, Garrison, Thill. 3B- Becquart.