TAMPA, Fla. – Loyola Chicago struggled to contain Penn State's and South Florida's offense on day two of the Fonseca Memorial Tournament, falling 12-2 and 13-1, respectively. After splitting on day one against St. John's and USF, the Ramblers were selected as the No. 4 seed in the tournament and slated against the No. 3 Nittany Lions and the No. 1 Bulls.
Game One: Loyola 2, Penn State 12
After a scoreless first inning, Penn State jumped ahead in the second with a solo home run and a sacrifice fly to take a 2-0 lead. The Nittany Lions broke the game open in the third, plating 10 runs on eight hits, including a two-run double and an RBI double.
Loyola found some offense in the third and fifth innings, with Haley Wallace driving in a run on a double from Nat Lesnicki and Ali Pawlowicz adding an RBI triple to send Bella Crimaldi across home plate.
Inside the Box Score
- Lesnicki tabbed her first RBI of the year while Crimaldi recorded two hits, matching her season high.
- Wallace's run marked her fourth of the season, making her the team leader in runs scored.
Game Two: Loyola 1, South Florida 13
The Ramblers took advantage of a throwing error to score their lone run in the second inning, but the Bulls responded with four runs in the bottom half, highlighted by a three-run triple from Avery Galligani. South Florida continued to apply pressure, adding a run in the third and exploding for seven more in the fourth to put the game out of reach. Maddy Hickey (0-2) took the loss for Loyola, allowing four runs in one inning of work.
Inside the Box Score
- Wallace, Pawlowicz, Mitchell, Skyler Croker and Riley Owens each recorded a hit.
- Mitchell accounted for the Ramblers' sole run, her second of the season.
- Croker added a stolen base for her third overall this season.
Up Next
Loyola takes on No. 2 seed St. John's tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8 a.m. CT.
