LITTLE ROCK, Ark. ? UALR junior Matt Bates fanned nine hitters over the final 4.0 innings on Sunday afternoon to wrap up the Trojans' 6-4 win over Creighton and pick up his first save of the year. After falling in to a 3-0 hole in the top of the first, the Trojans (3-2) scored runs in each of the first three frames to go ahead, then rode the pitching of junior Trevor Clay (2-0) and Bates to the win.
Clay picked up his second win of the year by going 5.0 innings with three runs and five hits allowed. After surrendering three runs and four hits in the first inning, Clay buckled down and gave up just one hit over the rest of his outing. Bates came on at the start of the sixth and responded by striking out nine batters over the next 4.0 innings. Creighton scratched across a run off Bates in the sixth, but went scoreless over the final three innings against the 6-5 right-handed pitcher.
The Bluejays (0-2) pushed across three runs in the top of the first to take an early 3-0 lead. Chad Ogden opened the game with a double, then came around to score off a base knock by Zach Daeges. Darin Ruf capped off scoring rally with a two-run single to center, plating Daeges and John Nowaczyk.
UALR came right back in the bottom half, scoring three runs off starter Marc Lewis to even the game at 3-all. Junior Ryan Gotcher, who went 3-for-4 on the day, hit a leadoff single then moved in to scoring position by stealing second. Seniors Tim Lawrence and Derek Eilers both delivered RBI doubles, before junior Brian Asbill tied the game with a run-scoring single.
Creighton's Zak Moore got the Bluejays out of the first inning, but ran in to trouble in the second. The freshman hurler, who was one of seven pitchers used by Creighton on the day, found himself in a bases-loaded jam after a fielding error, a single by Gotcher and a hit batsman. Senior Jacob Stover took advantage with a run-scoring single to put the Trojans ahead 4-3. UALR scored another run off a RBI fielder's choice by Eilers to go up 5-3.
Chris Marchildon took the mound for Creighton at the start of the third and watched as junior Brian Smiley promptly deposited his first pitch of the season over the leftfield fence. Smiley's solo homer was his first of the year.
The Bluejays cut their deficit to two runs, 6-4, compliments of a RBI single from Ruf, but couldn't get anything else going against Bates. The LaSalle, Ill.-native, fanned at least two batters in each of his four innings and forced Creighton to leave two runners on base in the eighth.
Gotcher, Stover, Smiley and Asbill each enjoyed multi-hit games, while Eilers led the team with two runs batted in. Ruf drove in three of the Bluejays' four runs in the losing effort.
UALR returns to action on Wednesday afternoon when it welcomes Southern Arkansas to Gary Hogan Field at 2 p.m.
