NACOGDOCHES, Texas ? The Arkansas-Little Rock baseball team (1-2) picked up its first victory of the year on Sunday, scoring a 10-7 win over Stephen F. Austin (2-1). The Trojans, however, suffered a 3-2, 12-inning loss in the final game of the series at Jaycees Field.
The second game of the series began on Saturday afternoon, but carried over to Sunday as play was suspended due to darkness. The Trojans led 9-7 when play was stopped, thanks in part to a four-run fourth inning which put the team on top 4-1. Junior Matt King delivered the biggest blow of the frame when his single to right scored senior Derek Eilers and junior Brian Smiley.
Senior Trevor Clay (1-0) got the start for UALR and allowed just one run over the first four innings, a RBI single by Kyle Freeman in the third. Leading 4-1 at the start of the fifth, the Trojans would tack on five more runs over the next two frames. Eilers and senior Tim Lawrence delivered a pair of run scoring singles in the fifth to make it a 6-1 game. After the ?Jacks plated two in the bottom half, UALR answered with three more in the sixth compliments of a two-run single from Smiley and a RBI double by Eilers.
Facing a 9-3 deficit in the bottom of the seventh, the Lumberjacks finally got to Clay, pushing across four runs on the Platte City, Mo.-native thanks in large part to a three-run homer to center by Steven Hill.
With the team's lead cut to two, 9-7, junior Dustin Turner came on at the start of the eighth and pitched two scoreless innings to secure the win and pick up his first save of the year. Turner did not allow a hit over the final 2.0 innings and allowed just one runner to reach base (off a walk).
The Trojans had added an insurance run in the top of the ninth, when senior Jacob Stover scored on a sacrifice fly to center by senior Eric Bowman. Clay got the win for the Trojans by going 7.0 innings with seven strikeouts. The home run by Hill spoiled an otherwise solid start to the 2006 campaign for Clay, who allowed seven runs on the day (six earned).
SFA jumped out to a 2-0 lead at the start of game two off junior Matt Bates. Hill sparked the home team with a double down the leftfield line. After Clay Britton plated a run with a RBI groundout, Hill came around to score off a double by Chris Smith. Bates escaped the inning without any further damage and then shut down the ?Jacks over the next 5.2 innings, allowing just one more hit and zero runs after the first inning.
Bates left the game in the seventh with a final stat line that featured 6.2 innings pitched, four hits, two runs (both earned), one walk and three strikeouts. The 6-5 right-hander retired nine in-a-row during one stretch.
The UALR offense struggled to get going at the start of the game, and went scoreless over the first six innings ? three of which saw the Trojans go down in order. UALR finally came to life in the seventh, using four hits to tie the game at 2-all.
Stover, sophomore Mitchell Webb and senior Josh Ward jump started the Trojans by opening the frame with back-to-back singles. King plated the first run with a sacrifice fly to center, then junior Ryan Gotcher knotted the game at 2-all when his single through the right side pushed Webb.
The two squads went scoreless over the next four innings, as SFA”s Josh Bone and UALR's Turner kept the opposing team in check. The Trojans best scoring opportunity came in the 11th, as Stover opened the inning with a double then moved to third off a groundout by Webb. But the ?Jacks managed to nail Stover at the plate on a 5-6-2-1 fielder's choice. After intentionally walking Gotcher to load the bases, Bone forced Lawrence to fly out to center for the third and final out.
SFA finally ended the scoring drought in the bottom of the 12th. Buck Britton opened the inning with a single, then moved in to scoring position with one out by stealing second. After a single by Kyle Freeman moved Buck Britton over to third, Turner intentionally walked Hill to load the bases with one out. Turner then induced Clay Britton in to a 1-2 fielder's choice to nail Buck Britton at the plate. With two outs and the bases loaded, SFA's Chase Sadler delivered a game-winning RBI single to left, scoring Freeman and giving the ?Jacks a 3-2 walk-off victory.
Turner (0-1) went the final 4.0 innings for UALR and took the loss despite allowing just five hits and one run during his stint. The two teams left a combined 25 men on base ? 13 of which were stranded by UALR. Stover led the Trojans with three hits in the losing effort.
UALR returns to action on Friday, when it welcomes Creighton to Gary Hogan Field at 3 p.m. for the team's 2006 home opener.
