Blue Mountain, Miss. — Blue Mountain Christian lost to No. 14 Loyola 6-3 in the final game of their SSAC baseball series Saturday. Loyola took the series with wins of 15-4 and 19-10 in the first two games.
Loyola jumped ahead early, scoring two runs in the first inning on a two-run home run by Nathan McDonald. An RBI single from Jed Cambre in the second inning extended the lead to 3-0. The Toppers responded in the second, as Garret Lance drove in Cody Presley with an RBI single.
Blue Mountain Christian continued to chip away at Loyola’s lead, with Jacob Bryant doubling to score Jake Meilstrup in the third inning. The Toppers tied the game in the fourth on Reise Thomas’ single that brought home Jarrett Morris. The game remained tied until the eighth, when Cambre tripled to bring home two runs, giving Loyola a 5-3 lead. An unearned run later in the inning extended the advantage to 6-3.
The Toppers finished with nine hits. Bryant went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while Presley also had two hits and scored a run. Gavin Foley added two hits. Lance and Thomas drove in a run each, and Meilstrup, Presley, and Morris scored the team’s three runs.
On the mound, Benji Webb took the loss, falling to 4-3 after 7.2 innings. He allowed six runs (five earned) on 10 hits, striking out three while walking six. Christian Maness pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, striking out one and allowing no hits.
