SHREVEPORT, La. – For the second straight day, the Indiana University Kokomo baseball team took the field against a top-25 opponent. This time, the Cougars battled No. 12 Loyola University New Orleans at Pilot Field on the campus of LSU Shreveport. 
 
The Cougars dropped both games of the doubleheader, falling 5-1 in the opener before losing a close one, 8-7 in extra innings in the final game of their opening weekend trip. 
 
Game One Recap
 
The Cougars struck in the top of the first inning against the Wolf Pack as Dylan Janke reached on error by the third basemen that allowed him to move up to second. Janke advanced to third on a groundout by Riley Garczynski and later scored on a Patrick Mills double to give IU Kokomo the early 1-0 lead. 
 
Loyola New Orleans, the designated home team for both games, evened things up in their half of the first as a two-out walk came around to score after an RBI double from the Wolf Pack cleanup hitter. 
 
After IUK starter Ben Harris retired the Wolf Pack in order in the second inning, the Cougar offense threatened in the top of the third after Garczynski singled and advanced to third on Mills' second double of the day. Both Garczynski and Mills would be stranded on the bases as the Cougars came up empty, leaving the game knotted at one. 
 
Harris pitched around two walks in the bottom of the fourth as he picked off a Wolf Pack baserunner to end the inning, leaving two runners aboard. 
 
A one-out solo home run in the bottom of the fourth broke the tie, giving Loyola New Orleans the 2-1 lead. 
 
The Wolf Pack took advantage of three walks and broke things open in the fifth frame scoring three runs on just one hit. 
 
Trailing 5-1 in the sixth, Dylan Steele started things for the Cougar offense as he singled to centerfield. Steele would advance 90 feet after Jack Leverenz, who came on to pinch hit ripped a single into left field, putting Cougars at first and second with nobody out. Leverenz would be erased by a double play. 
 
In their final at-bat the Cougars went three-up-three-down to end the game. 
 
Harris was credited with the loss after the right-hander went four innings, allowing two runs on two hits. Harris issued four walks and fanned four Wolf Pack hitters. 
 
Mills finished 2-for-3 with an RBI.
 
Game Two Recap 
 
For the second straight night, a six-run inning got the Cougars back into a game but this time IUK came out on the losing end of the rally as the Wolf Pack plated a run in extra innings to earn the walk-off win. 
 
The Wolf Pack scored one in the second, one in the third, and three in the fourth to take a 5-0 lead over the Cougars. 
 
IU Kokomo's offense managed to get on the board in the fifth inning as Steele drew a leadoff walk and later came around to score when Bryce Lenz drew a bases loaded two-out walk. The Cougars would leave the bases loaded in the inning and went into their final two at-bats trailing 5-1. 
 
The Cougars carried their momentum from the fifth inning into the sixth as the offense exploded for six runs on five hits, with all the runs coming with two outs. Mills got the rally started with a single and a stolen base. Janke singled to right, scoring Mills to make it a 5-2 contest. Tahj Borom came on to pinch run for Janke, who moved up to third on a single from Jarod Gillespie. It appeared the inning was over after a Tucker Platt strikeout, but Platt reached on a dropped third strike to keep the inning alive and load the bases. Leverenz picked up an RBI after drawing a walk to score Borom, making it 5-3. Back-to-back two-RBI singles by Lenz and Matt Iacobucci gave IUK a 7-5 lead.
 
Two runs from the Wolf Pack in the home half of the sixth tied the game once again. The Cougars had scoring opportunities in the top of the seventh as they loaded the bases but were unable to push a run across. Loyola New Orleans went down in order in the bottom of the seventh, forcing the game to go into extra innings. 
 
In the Cougars half of the eighth, Garczynski reached on a one-out single and would advance after a Wolf Pack error allowed Mills reach base. Garczynski advanced to third on a wild pitch, putting Cougars at the corners with one out. Back-to-back strikeouts ended the IUK threat. 
 
A one-out RBI single by the Wolf Pack ended the game in the bottom of the eighth in walk-off fashion.
 
Garczynski finished the game with two hits. Lenz drove in three runs while Iacobucci had two RBI. The Cougars pitching staff combined for seven strikeouts but also issued seven walks in the loss. 
 
Up Next 
 
The Cougars hit the road next weekend as they travel to Cleveland, Georgia to take on Truett McConnell in a four-game series. The Cougars and Bears will play two on Friday night and close out the series with a doubleheader on Saturday. 
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on the IU Kokomo Cougars, fans can visit IUKCougars.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Cougar news by following @IUKAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.