LSUS to play for GCAC championship at 6 p.m. Friday 05/03/02

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The LSUS Pilots rolled to the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference baseball tournament championship game by pounding the Loyola University Wolfpack 17-4 Thursday. In their first-round game Wednesday, the Pilots downed GCAC regular-season champion William Carey College 8-5.

At 2 p.m. Friday, the Pilots will watch Loyola and the University of Mobile square off to see which will play LSUS in the 6 p.m. championship game. Should LSUS lose, the second championship game in the double-elimination tournament will be played Saturday.

LSUS pitcher Ian Doiron’s eighth win of the season wasn’t as close as the score might indicate. Loyola scored three of its four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. The win improved the Houma senior’s season record to 8-4.

The Pilots crossed the plate nine times in the first four innings before Loyola scored its first run, and scored 13 of its 17 runs in the first five innings. They went scoreless the next three innings, then put an exclamation point on the game with four more runs in the top of the ninth. The Pilots had 17 hits to match their scoring output.

Five players combined for 13 of the 17 hits. Gary Moraes made the most of his two hits in five times at bat by smashing a home run and a double with three RBI. Alan Cantwell also went two for five, hit a double and had one RBI. Cole Reynolds was the most productive player of the night, going four for five, a double and six RBI. Colby Baker hit two doubles in his three for five outing that accounted for three RBI. Wesley Gray had two hits in three at-bats, one of which was a double.