Box Score LITTLE ROCK – UALR baseball (8-13, 5-4) pulled off its third walk-off hit of the season with a 2-1 win in its first-ever meeting with Appalachian State (7-19, 2-8) on Friday night.
Junior Kyle Kirk earned UALR the win with a one-out walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth inning. Kirk went 2 for 4 with one RBI. Kirk was the only Trojan batter with multiple hits.
UALR and Appalachian State were silent on offense for most of the night. The Trojans managed to scrape up four hits compared to the Mountaineers' three.
“It was a pitcher's night,” head coach Chris Curry said. “There wasn't much offense, just good pitching.”
Appalachian State got out to an early lead in the first inning with a solo home run with one out. Starter Jarrid Garcia picked up his first strikeout of the game to earn the second out. App State filed out to center to end the threat in the top of the first with two runners on base.
UALR responded in the bottom of the first with a run of its own. With one out, Jason Prevatt was hit by a pitch. Prevatt advanced to second with a UALR ground out to second. Tanner Rockwell then singled up the middle to score Prevatt from second to tie the game at 1-1.
Garcia pitched 5.1 innings before being relieved by Dyllon Brownmiller with one out in the top of the sixth. Garcia ended the night with six strikeouts and gave up one run, three hits and five walks on 107 pitches.
Brownmiller pitched 2.2 solid innings of relief without giving up a hit and striking out three. He was relieved by fellow senior Cameron Allen to begin the top of the ninth.
“Brownmiller did what he's been doing all year long,” Curry said.
Allen kept the Mountaineers in check by only throwing eight pitches to end the top half of the frame.
Prevatt led off the bottom of the ninth with a single to right field. Without a hit for the night, Ryan Scott sacrificed the opportunity to extend his hitting streak to 18 games as he laid down a sac bunt down the third base line, advancing Prevatt to second.
“Ryan Scott showed his unselfishness with a hitting streak on the line, and we asked him to give it up to lay down a beautiful bunt,” Curry said.
Rockwell then grounded out to second, advancing Prevatt to third. With the winning run only 90 feet away and an 0-2 count, Kirk hit an opposite field single to left to bring home Prevatt.
Appalachian State's Taylor Thurber came into tonight's game as the reigning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week. Thurber almost pitched a complete game with 8.2 innings on the mound, striking out six and giving up two runs on four hits. Thurber only walked one Trojan batter.
“We won the game because they are tough kids,” Curry said. “I've said it all year. I've told them I'm fired up to go through a season with you guys because of your toughness, resiliency and what you've been through, and they keep coming back.”
The Trojans will continue their three-game series with the Mountaineers on Saturday with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. at Gary Hogan Field.
