Box Score LITTLE ROCK - The UALR baseball team (3-5)
earned its first home win of the season Sunday afternoon at Gary Hogan Field,
defeating Bradley (4-3) by a final score of 11-7. The Trojan offense produced a
season-high 15 hits, while Dillon Wilson
picked up the win after surrendering just four hits in five innings of
work.
After the
Trojans scored one run in each of their first two sets of at-bats, the Braves
answered with a three-run inning in the top of the third that put Bradley up by
a run heading into the bottom of the inning. The Trojans responded with a pair
of runs in the bottom half of the inning, as a Justin Barnes solo home run and
back-to-back doubles by Casey McCollum
and Nick Rountree put UALR back on
top, 4-3.
The Trojans
added another run in the bottom of the fourth. Jason Houston scored UALR's fifth run of the game when a two-out,
infield error by the Braves allowed Houston
to score from third and give the Trojans a two-run cushion.
Following
two straight scoreless at-bats, the Trojan offense exploded in the bottom of
the seventh. Three UALR hits - combined with four walks and a pair of errors by
the Braves - allowed the Trojans to put up six runs in the frame and go up 11-3
heading into the eighth.
In the
Braves next set of at-bats, a two-RBI single by Derek Sprout made the score
11-5, while an RBI double by Bob Schuch later in the inning shrunk the Trojan
lead to five. However, the Trojans were able to get out of the inning without
any further damage.
Bradley would
add one more run in the top of the ninth inning to make the score 11-7, but Chad Woods was able to get Jason
Leblebijian to fly out to center field to end the threat and the game for the
Trojans, earning him his first save of the season.
Houston paced the UALR bats with a
season-high four hits and two runs scored. Hector
Acosta, McCollum and Jake Rowell
also had two-hit days for the Trojans.
The
Trojans will now have a day of rest before returning to Gary Hogan Field for a
Tuesday night game against Louisiana Tech. Just last week, the Bulldogs topped
the Trojans by a final of 10-9 in 11 innings in Ruston, La.
First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.
