Box Score RUSTON, La. - The UALR Trojans (2-3) dropped
an 11-inning contest to Louisiana Tech (4-0) by a final score of 10-9 Tuesday
night at J.C. Love Field. Finding themselves in an 8-5 hole after four innings,
the Trojans battled back, tying the score in the top half of the seventh before
eventually dropping their second 11-inning decision in five games.
The Trojan
offense had a season-high 14 hits on the night, including a three-hit
performance by Nick Rountree that
also included three RBI. Cameron Bentley, Tyler Cameron, Jason
Houston and and Jake Rowell each
added two hits in the loss.
Sam Alvis
was credited with the win for the Bulldogs, while Bubba Cooper, after pitching 2.2 innings for UALR and surrendering
just one run and one hit, was given the loss.
UALR
continued its habit of getting out to an early lead in 2011, scoring a pair of
runs in the top half of the opening frame. Tuesday's game marked the third time
in five games this season that the Trojans have put at least two runs on the
board in their first set of at-bats.
A Bentley
single followed by a Casey McCollum
double to lead off the top of the first gave UALR runners on second and third
with no outs. A grounder to first by Jake
Rowell would score Bentley, while a sacrifice fly to right center by Justin Barnes later in the inning would
allow McCollum to cross the plate and make the score 2-0 Trojans heading into
the bottom of the first.
The
Bulldogs would answer with five runs of their own in the bottom half of the
inning. After the Trojans walked in the first Bulldog run of the game, a two-RBI
single by Joey Ford gave Louisiana Tech
a 3-2 lead. Another two-RBI single later in the inning, this time by Will
Alvis, brought home the final runs of the frame to give Louisiana Tech a 5-2
lead after an inning of play.
The
Trojans would cut the lead to three in their next set of at-bats, as McCollum
drew a walk with the bases loaded to bring in Rountree from third, making the
score 5-3, Louisiana Tech.
UALR would
tack on two more in the top half of the third. With runners at first and second
and one out, Rountree ripped the first pitch he saw down the left field line,
bringing both runners home and knotting the score at five.
Louisiana
Tech regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning, however. After Clint
Ewing hit a one-out double to left center, a Trojan throwing error and a
sacrifice fly allowed him to cross the plate and make the score 6-5 in favor of
the Bulldogs.
The home
team added two more runs in the bottom half of the fourth. Mark Threlkeld drove
in the first run on a sacrifice fly to center, while a double by the next
batter, Alex Williams, followed by an RBI single by Ford put the Bulldogs up
three, 8-5.
The
Trojans began chipping away at the three-run deficit in the top half of the
fifth, scoring two runs in what would be the first of three-straight innings
UALR scored at least one run.
With two
outs and a runner on first, Sean Bignall
doubled down the left field line to score Rowell from first to cut the Bulldog
lead to two. The next batter, Rountree, singled to right field to bring in
Bignall and bring the Trojans within a run, 8-7.
Louisiana
Tech added a run in the bottom half of the fifth to make the score 9-7, but the
Trojans would answer with a run apiece in their next two sets of at-bats to
even the score.
In the top
of the sixth, Bentley singled to center field to lead off the inning. After a
ground out by McCollum moved Bentley to third, a Rowell grounder to first
allowed Bentley to score and again bring the Trojans within one.
In their
next set of at-bats, the Trojans evened the score when Greg Garcia pulled the first pitch of the at-bat through the left
side to score Bignall from second.
After
Louisiana Tech went scoreless in the bottom half of the sixth, neither team
would add to their tally over the next three innings of play. With the score tied
9-9 after nine innings of play, the Trojans entered into their second
extra-inning affair of the 2011 season.
Following
a scoreless tenth and top half of the eleventh, the Bulldogs were able to score
the winning run in the bottom half of the inning. With the bases loaded and one
out, Justin Gordey drew a walk to advance all runners, including Corey White
from third base for the game's winning run.
UALR will be
back in action this Friday when they return to Gary Hogan Field for a weekend
series against Bradley, their first home stint of the 2011 season. The Trojans
will kick off the weekend on Friday with a 3 p.m. contest against the Braves.
