Box Score LITTLE ROCK ? The UALR pitching staff racked up 12 strikeouts on Wednesday night to lead the Trojans (12-6) to a 7-5 victory over Tennessee-Martin (8-8) at Gary Hogan Field. UTM plated three runs in the top of the eighth to tie things up at 5-all, but the Trojans answered with two runs in the bottom half en route to their second-straight victory.
UALR starter Scott Keffer racked up a career-high eight strikeouts in a no decision on Wednesday, holding the Skyhawks to five hits and two runs over 5.0 innings of work. The 6-3 junior trailed 2-0 when he left the game, as UTM starter Dylan Cupples held the Trojans to two hits and no runs over 4.1 innings pitched.
The Trojans manufactured four runs in the bottom of the sixth, thanks to a pair of UTM errors, to go on top 4-2, and held a 5-2 lead before the Skyhawks rallied to tie things up in the eighth. Senior JR Boling took the mound in the eighth with two outs on the board, and struck out three batters over the final 1.1 innings to improve to 2-1 on the year.
UTM outhit the Trojans 10-to-8 on Wednesday night, thanks to a pair of three-hit performances by Trey Karlen and Cody Terry. Senior Tyson Parks and juniors Jason Houston and Brock Feldmann totaled two hits apiece to lead the way for UALR.
UTM used a pair of doubles to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Outfielder Jerron Casey opened the game with a leadoff double to right, and came around to score on a RBI double by Terry two batters later.
Keffer settled in after surrendering the RBI double to Terry, striking out five of the next seven batters he faced, including all three Skyhawks in the top of the second. After three scoreless frames, UTM was able to get back into the scoring column in the top of the fifth to take a 2-0 lead.
Cory Stooksbury opened the frame with a bunt single and advanced all the way to third base thanks to a Trojan throwing error on the play. He came around to score on a RBI double by Karlen, but Keffer forced UTM to strand a runner at third for the second time during his outing.
Down 2-0, the Trojans threatened in the bottom of the fifth after Cupples opened the frame by issuing consecutive walks to junior Casey McCollum and senior Nate Brown. Both runners moved up on a sacrifice bunt by senior Tim Emmons, but UTM called on reliever Matt Miller with two on and one out, and the junior right-hander was able to preserve the 2-0 lead by striking out both batters he faced.
The Trojan offense finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth, plating four runs (three unearned) off UTM reliever Alex Mills to take a 4-2 lead. UALR loaded the bases with no outs to open the inning, as junior Jake Rowell (single), Houston (walk) and Parks (bunt single) all reached base safely.
With the bases loaded and no outs, Mills got a ground ball back to the mound from senior Landis Wilson, but sent an errant throw to the plate as he tried to get a force out with Rowell trying to score from third. Catcher Ty Nelson followed with a throwing error back to the plate, which allowed both Houston and Parks to score. Wilson advanced all the way to third on the play and scored moments later on a RBI groundout by McCollum to give UALR a 4-2 lead.
UALR extended its lead to three runs in the seventh, 5-2, when Houston followed up a leadoff single by Feldmann with a RBI base knock up the middle. The Skyhawks answered immediately, as Nelson hit a two-run bomb to left in the top of the eighth to cut UTM's deficit to a run, 5-4.
Pryor did not allow a hit to the Skyhawks over his first two innings of work, retiring UTM in order in the sixth and seventh innings after taking the mound for Keffer. Terry managed to pick up UTM's first hit off of Pryor by opening the eighth with a leadoff double (his second of the game), and then scored on Nelson's two-run blast.
Pryor walked the next batter he faced after Nelson's homer, and the Trojans brought on junior John Maler to preserve the one-run lead. UTM had different plans, however, as Jerry Owen ripped a double to left center to score the tying run. Maler got outs from the next two batters he faced, before UALR called on Boling with a runner on third and two outs. The Gladstone, Mo.-native was able to strand the runner at third by retiring Stooksbury on a 2-3 bunt.
Tied at 5-all in the bottom of the eighth, UTM brought on reliever Alex Boshers, who promptly hit the first two batters he faced (McCollum and Brown). With two on and no out, Emmons moved the runners up with a sacrifice bunt, and McCollum came around to score the go-ahead run on a RBI groundout by Feldmann. Leading 6-5, junior Bryce Killingsworth gave the Trojans an insurance run when he plated Brown with a RBI single up the middle.
Boling stayed on in the ninth to close out the game and struck out the first batter he faced before giving up back-to-back singles to Karlen and Terry. Both runners moved up on a double steal, but Boling buckled down to strike out each of the next two Skyhawk hitters and preserve the 7-5 victory.
Bushers (0-1) was handed his first loss of the season after allowing two runs off just one hit in the ninth.
UALR returns to action this weekend (March 19-21) when it heads to Boca Raton, Fla. for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series against Florida Atlantic.
