In Short…
Loyola captured two victories via run rule on Saturday, outscoring its opponents 19-2. The Ramblers got a home run and five RBI from both Katie Kasubke and Shannon McGee over the course of the two games.
 
Coach Tylka's Thoughts
"It was a good day as Keenan [Dolezal] threw the ball really well in game one. Shannon [McGee] has a huge day offensively in both games, and Caitlin Engelking had a big two-run double as well," head coach Jeff Tylka said. "McGee, [Allyson] Ivey and [Katie] Kasubke drove in 11 runs on the day and that was the story. Kiley [Jones] limited a good offense to four hits while [Madison] Veres did her job with a scoreless sixth. It was a good team win."
 
How It Happened
The Ramblers scored a run in every inning during game one en route to an 8-0 run-rule victory. The scoring happened early and often, beginning with a Shannon McGee RBI-triple through the left side. With the Ramblers' three-hole hitter on third, Allyson Ivey snapped a two-game RBI drought and brought home McGee with a single up the middle that netted the first baseman's 10^th RBI of the season.
 
Loyola doubled its lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the second with a Madison Ebeling home run and a throwing error two batters later that allowed Jessica Shields to cross the plate. Later on Tylka enjoyed the luxury of offensive production outside his starting nine. Caitlin Engelking blasted an pinch-hit RBI-double in the bottom of the third to run the score to 5-0.
 
Thanks to a sharp pitching performance from Keenan Dolezal, The Aggies didn't get a baserunner until the top of the fourth when the leadoff batter reached base. Despite reaching second on a stolen base, Dolezal retired the side by adding two more strikeouts that ran her total to a then career-best seven. The North Barrington, Illinois, native added two more in the fifth to finish her five-inning CG shutout with nine, an individual season-high for the Ramblers.
 
After fourth inning at-bats from Stephanie Campos and Katie Polaski ended in RBIs, the Ramblers needed one more run in the bottom of the fifth to claim their fourth run-rule win of the season. With the bases loaded and one out, Katie Kasubke did exactly that with a base-hit up the middle that made it an 8-0 game and put the run-rule in effect.
 
The red-hot bats continued its surge into the second game versus Akron with a four-run first inning. An Ivey single up the middle got the Ramblers on the board, but the big blast came on a Kasubke three-run bomb to mark the second time in three games she's gone deep.
 
The Zips picked up two unearned runs in their half of the first, but Loyola established a three-run lead with a McGee sac-fly for her first RBI of game two. After a quiet third inning came and went, McGee delivered the knockout blow in the form of a three-run home run to center field. The blast ran her RBI total to six on the weekend, and will now enter Sunday with a .462 batting average.
 
The 3-4-5 part of the lineup continued its tear through opposing pitching into the sixth inning. After Ivey made it 9-2 with a sacrifice-fly, Kasubke ripped a single up the middle the next at-bat to bring home two more. The nine-run cushion put Loyola in run-rule territory yet again, which Madison Veres secured with a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the sixth.
 
A Look at the Numbers
-Keenan Dolezal registered a career-high nine strikeouts in her five-inning complete-game shutout, improving her season K/7 to 5.90.
-The two home runs and six stolen bases Loyola compiled vs. Akron marks a single-game season high.
-The five run-rule victories have already surpassed last year's total of three. It's the first time Loyola has logged back-to-back-to-back run-rule wins since 2016.
-Shannon McGee has hit safely in her last three games, hitting at a 7-for-10 clip. She also has six RBI in that stretch, four of which came vs. Akron to set a new career-high.
 
Up Next
Loyola finishes off the Mercer Black and Orange Challenge with a 10 a.m. CT rematch versus Indiana on Sunday (Feb. 24). The Ramblers and Hoosiers were deadlocked in a pitcher's duel during the first meeting on Friday, with IU prevailing, 1-0.