Box Score LITTLE ROCK - The UALR baseball team (4-5)
defeated Louisiana Tech (6-2) by a final score of 8-5 Tuesday night at Gary
Hogan Field. Avenging their defeat in Ruston just a week ago, the Trojans
combined 10 hits on offense with a five-hit, one-run performance by Calving
Drinnen in 5.2 innings of work to get their second straight win.
Eight
different Trojans supplied hits on the night, with Jake Rowell and Hector
Acosta leading the way with two hits apiece. Rowell and Brock Feldmann each chipped in with a
pair of RBI.
Although
UALR never trailed in the game, the Trojans found themselves in trouble in the
top half of the first, as the Bulldogs were able to put runners at second and
third with just one out. However, Drinnen was able to get UALR out of the jam.
After striking out Alex Williams to get out number two of the inning, the
right-hander got Joey Ford to pop out to Jason
Houston at second to end the inning and keep the Bulldogs scoreless.
The Trojan
offense responded with two runs in their first set of at-bats. After Houston hit a one-out
double to right center, Rowell doubled him home to put the Trojans up 1-0. An
RBI single by Casey McCollum later
in the inning would bring Rowell home and make the score 2-0, UALR.
The Trojan
lead would stay at two runs over the next three innings, as Drinnen found his
stride on the mound, allowing no runs and just one hit - an infield single in
the third - over that span.
UALR would
increase its lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the fifth. After McCollum reached on
a throwing error by Louisiana Tech shortstop Ryan Gebhert, a Nick Rountree single and a drawn walk
by Sean Bignall loaded the bases for
the Trojans. Back-to-back singles by Acosta and Feldmann brought home McCollum,
Rountree and Bignall, putting UALR up five heading into the top of the sixth.
Louisiana
Tech scored its first run in the top of the sixth when a Alex Williams single
to right field allowed Hedges to score and make the score 5-1, Trojans. The
Bulldogs would add one more in the top of the eighth to cut the UALR lead to
three.
The
Trojans added three more in the bottom of the eighth. With runners on first and
second, a Rowell single to left field brought home the inning's first run,
while a wild pitch by Bulldog hurler Sam Alvis provided the second. An RBI
single by the next batter, Justin Barnes,
put UALR up 8-2 heading into the top of the ninth.
In the top
half of the ninth, the Bulldogs would add two runs to cut it to 8-4 before UALR
brought in John Maler to close things out. Maler would surrender one more run
on a chopper to third that became an infield hit, but the right-hander retired
the next two he faced to earn his first save of the season.
The
Trojans will be back in action this weekend, as UALR will stay in Little Rock for a weekend
series against IPFW. Action starts Friday, with the first pitch slated for 3
p.m.
