Mike Fafaul drove in three runs, A.J. Lardo had a triple and two RBI’s, and Conor Reynolds, Alec Sheetz and Greg Battista all had two hits for Loyola Blakefield on Friday, as the Dons beat Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 9-4 in Towson, in the VSN/Fox 45 Game of the Week.
Despite all the offense, the story of the day for Loyola was reliefer Eric McDonough.
The Dons took a 5-0 lead into the fourth inning, and starter Brady Stockham was working on a no-hitter when the Cougars got a rally going. Zack Pugh singled, Bobby Sanzone walked, Ian Arciaga singled and PJ Williams doubled, as the Cougars scored three times to cut the Loyola lead to 5-4.
Blakefield coach Jim Crowley summoned McDonough, and the big right-hander closed the door on the Cougars. McDonough went the rest of the way, holding coach Mike Naunton’s scrappy club to just one hit through the final four innings.
“Coach told me to throw strikes, locate outside corner, and throw the fastball by them,” said McDonough. He also that the Mount was a good hitting team.
“I had to keep the ball low and outside, mix speeds and change location. It was a good win for us.”
The Dons got two insurance runs in the fourth and sixth innings to secure the win for McDonough.
Cougar ace Bobby Sanzone started for Naunton, but the Dons got to him early.
Lardo tripled in a run in the first inning, then scored on a Fafaul sac fly, and Reynolds singled in a run in the second inning. Craig Pyzik doubled in a run in the third. Sanzone gave way to Nick Malec in the fourth.
Loyola 9, Mount Carmel 4
MC 010 300 0 — 4 4 2
LOY 212 202 x — 9 10 2
Sanzone, Malec (4), and Krannebitter; Stockham, McDonough (4), and Russell
WP-McDonough LP-Sanzone
2B: LOY-Pyzik; MC-Williams.
3B: LOY-Lardo.
