Little Rock Drops Series Finale Against IPFW

LITTLE ROCK – Hoping to split a four-game series with IPFW (6-2), Little Rock baseball (3-4) fell 9-6 in the series finale at Gary Hogan Field on Sunday.
 
The Trojans got great at-bats from Ryan Scott and Nik Gifford as each had a solo home run. Scott finished the day 3 for 5 with three runs and an RBI, and Gifford ended up 2 for 5 with three RBIs and a run.
 
Although the Trojans had 12 hits offensively, Little Rock had a rough day on the hill as seven pitchers were used throughout the game with 11 total walks.
 
"I'm proud of the way they fought," head coach Chris Curry said. "The team plays hard and doesn't give up, but so will everyone else we play. Execution has to start happening, and that's mainly on the mound. When we score, we need to get shutdown innings and put up zeroes. That's what winning pitching is about, and that's not what we're doing right now."
 
Little Rock started the game on a strong note, putting up a run in each of the first three innings. Scott singled and stole second before coming home on an RBI single by Gifford in the first. The second inning saw Zach Baker get on base and advance to second on an error by the IPFW third baseman. Keegan Meyn doubled down the left field line for his first collegiate hit to score Baker from second.
 
Before Scott homered in the bottom of the third inning to make it a 3-2 game, IPFW scored a couple in the top frame. With two outs, Kendall Whitman was struck by a pitch before a two-run blast by Shane Trevino tied the game at 2-2.
 
IPFW started to take over the game in the top of the fourth inning as the Mastodons scored three runs to take a 5-3 lead. Shannon Baker got on with a leadoff walk and advanced to second with a single through the right side by Zak Kellogg. With back-to-back strikeouts by reliever Jacob Boggess, it looked like the inning was all but over, but Evan VanSumeran was able to reach base on a Trojan throwing error to first as Baker scored. Whitman walked on four pitches, and Trevino got the bases loaded two-run double to right.
 
Back-to-back walks with one out in the fifth brought on the Trojans' third pitching change of the day as Jarrid Garcia came on for Preston Oberling. Jackson Boyce welcomed Garcia to the game with a single to first to load the bases. Brandon Soat hit a sacrifice fly to left and Baker scored once more. Garcia was able to strike out VanSumeran on a 1-2 count to end the inning.
 
After a two-out solo home run by Gifford in the fifth, things remained quiet until the Mastodons came calling again in the top of the eighth inning. With two outs, Trevino singled to right for a team-leading third time. Keenan Wingfield came on for Jacob Rateliff, but a two-run homer to left by Greg Kaiser put IPFW up 8-4. With a 1-0 count, lightning struck again as Brock Logan hit a solo homer to right to put the Mastodons up 9-4.
 
Cody McGill had a successful ninth inning on the mound for Little Rock with two strikeouts before the Trojans started a rally in the bottom of the inning. Hayden Martin got a leadoff walk on five pitches prior to Little Rock earning its first out with a strikeout. Brandon Phelps came on for reliever Jordan Martin, but it wouldn't be short work for him. Scott earned his third hit of the day with a single to right, putting runners on the corners. Thomas then doubled down the left field line to score Martin and put runners in scoring position. Nik Gifford grounded out to first as Scott scored to cut IPFW's lead to 9-6. That would be all for the Trojans as a ground out to first ended things.
 
Starter Cole Townsend had a game-high five strikeouts in 2.2 innings, but he gave up four walks, two runs and a hit.
 
"We struck out IPFW 13 times and walked them 11," Curry added. "That tells me the focus and concentration to throw the ball over the plate was not there. That's what we're going to get corrected."
 
Little Rock returns to action on Tuesday as it hosts Mississippi Valley State at 3 p.m., at Gary Hogan Field.