Box Score LITTLE ROCK - Western Kentucky (17-10, 6-2 SBC) got another solid outing from its starting rotation on Saturday afternoon, but the UALR baseball team battered WKU's bullpen to pick up an 8-2 victory at Gary Hogan Field. UALR (12-14, 3-5) banged out 14 hits in Saturday's win and senior
Ryan Juris held WKU hitless over 4.0 scoreless innings of relief to even the Sun Belt Conference series at 1-all.
Juris (1-0) took the mound for UALR starter Travis Henke at the start of the sixth inning with the game tied at 2-all, and shutdown the Hilltoppers over the final four frames. WKU starter Justin Hageman limited the Trojans to two runs over the first six innings, but UALR scored four runs in the seventh off reliever Ross Hammonds and tacked on two more insurance runs in the eighth of Taylor Haydel.
Junior Nick Rountree went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI to lead the way for UALR. Rountree was one of three Trojans to tally three hits in the win, as junior Greg Garcia went 3-for-5 at the plate and junior Justin Barnes added a 3-for-4 performance. Rountree was also one of three Trojans with a multi-RBI performance, as senior Jake Rowell and junior Cameron Bentley each drove in two runs in the victory. Bentley capped off UALR's four-run rally in the seventh with a two-out, two-run single, and Rowell gave the Trojans some insurance runs in the eighth with a two-out, two-run double to left.
Tied at 2-all in the bottom of the seventh, Hammonds took the mound in relief of Hageman and was greeted immediately with a leadoff single by Garcia. Hammonds was able to strike out the next batter he faced, but Rountree followed with a double to left center to score Garcia from first and give UALR a 3-2 lead. Hammonds then issued back-to-back walks to load the bases and senior Casey McCollum made it a 4-2 contest with a RBI groundout to first.
The Hilltoppers appeared to be on their way to escaping the jam without further damage as Hammonds induced a potential inning-ending grounder from junior Sean Bignall, but catcher's interference was called on the play. Bignall took first to load the bases with two outs, and Bentley singled to center to score Rowell and Barnes and put the Trojans ahead 6-2.
Haydel came on in relief of Hammonds after Bentley's single, and escaped the jam by picking off Bignall. Haydel then retired the first two batters he faced in the eighth, but a two-out walk to Houston and a single by Rountree set the stage for Rowell's two-run double to the leftfield corner.
Both starters took a no decision on Saturday despite solid outings. Hageman allowed nine hits and two runs over 6.0 innings, while racking up seven strikeouts against just one walk. Henke worked 5.0 innings and allowed nine hits and two runs to the Hilltoppers. Hammonds (0-1) took the loss after surrendering three hits and four runs (two earned) over 0.2 innings.
WKU left 13 men on base in the loss, leaving the bases loaded in the first, and stranded a total of seven runners in scoring position. Three Hilltoppers enjoyed a multi-hit game in the loss, led by Ryan Hutchison's 2-for-5, two-RBI performance. Hutchison hit a solo homer to center in the top of the fifth to tie the game at 2-all - his third homer of the year.
UALR and WKU return to action Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. for the rubber match of their three-game Sun Belt Conference series.
