Trojans Drop Series on Walk-Off Against App State

BOONE, N.C. – With the series tied at 1-1 entering Sunday, Little Rock baseball (13-14, 6-6 Sun Belt) lost the series finale 8-7 on another walk-off hit by Appalachian State (8-20, 3-9).
 
The Trojans had four players with two hits for the day in Hunter Owens, Dalton Thomas, Cameron Knight and Matt McDowell. Owens and Thomas each scored two runs while Thomas had three RBIs and a home run.
 
For the second straight game, the Little Rock bullpen struggled to get anything going as it allowed eight walks and five runs.
 
"I'm very proud of our team for battling back, but it's extremely frustrating to ask a guy to take the ball on the mound and for him to not answer the call by throwing the ball in the strike zone," head coach Chris Curry said. "There's no drill for that, and there are no words. It's simply being afraid of the moment. We had about five or six guys this weekend who were afraid of the moment and were afraid of failure. That is a guaranteed way to fail in a baseball game."
 
Scoreless after one, Little Rock took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning. Nik Gifford got on with a five-pitch walk to begin the inning. With one out, Matt McDowell doubled down the left field line to put runners in scoring position. Gifford was thrown out at home as he tried to advance on a fielder's choice by Kyle Kirk. Zach Baker got the Trojans on the board with an RBI single to left as McDowell scored from second.
 
Appalachian State swiftly responded in the bottom of the inning. Brian Bauk hit a leadoff double to left center, then Connor Leonard singled to center to put runners on the corners. Parker Henderson knocked Bauk in with an RBI single to left to tie the game. After a wild pitch advanced Henderson and Leonard into scoring position, Will Herman grounded out to second as Leonard scored the go-ahead to take a 2-1 lead.
 
With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Trojan starter Joe Corbett hit a batter and walked the next one. That prompted head coach Chris Curry to make the call to the bullpen as Reed Willenborg came on in relief. Willenborg threw a pitch too far inside, hitting the batter and loading the bases for the Mountaineers. A deep sacrifice fly to the warning track in right by Bauk scored Leonard and bumped App State's lead to 3-1.
 
Jarrid Garcia got the Trojans out of a jam in the bottom of the sixth after relieving Willenborg. Willenborg walked the leadoff batter and got the next batter to ground out. After walking the third batter of the inning, Garcia entered game and cleaned house with a strikeout and a fly to end the frame.
 
App State starter Colin Schmid exited the game after the sixth inning and gave way to Reed Howell. The right-hander kept Little Rock at bay with a fly out, a pop up and a ground out to short on just nine pitches.
 
After Garcia gave up a walk to Bauk with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Keenan Wingfield entered. On a 1-1 count, Bauk stole second and proceed to take third on an errant throw to second. Wingfield gave up the walk to Leonard on a full count to put runners on the corners. Henderson hit what looked like an infield single up the middle, but Hayden Martin came up with it and got the force out at second to end the inning.
 
The Trojans got a much needed leadoff single by Hunter Owens to begin the eighth. After being hit by a pitch and walking once, Ryan Scott was once again walked to put the tying run on second with no outs. Dalton Thomas loaded the bases for Little Rock with a single through the left side. This triggered the Mountaineers to make a change on the mound as Bauk came on from right field to pitch. Bauk caught Gifford looking before a wild pitch allowed Owens to score and tie the game. Cameron Knight reached on a fielder's choice, but Scott was thrown out at home trying to score. With runners on the corners, McDoweel put Little Rock ahead 4-3 with an RBI single through the left side.
 
The Trojans got off to a rough start in the bottom frame as Herman walked and Chandler Seagle got on with a bunt single. This forced Little Rock to go to the bullpen as Dylan Slayton came on with no outs. Tanner Mann-Fix put down a bunt, but the throw to third to get the lead runner was late. Preston Oberling came on for Slayton with bases loaded, but a wild pitch scored the tying run. Matt Vernon then hit a two-run single to center, giving the Mountaineers a 6-4 lead. Another single by Tyler Stroup forced another Trojan pitching change as Cody Daylor made his way into the game. Beau Myers advanced both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice fly before Bauk hit a sacrifice fly to deep center to give App State a 7-4 lead.
 
Thomas came up with the biggest hit of the ballgame for the Trojans. With runners on first and second and two outs, Thomas gave Little Rock life with a game-tying three-run homer to left.
 
Knotted up at 7-7, Cody McGill came on for Daylor to begin the bottom frame. Seagle walked on four pitches before Jason Curtis came on to pinch run. After Mann-Fix flied out to center for the first out, Vernon hit the game winner for App State as an RBI double to the left center gap scored Curtis all the way from first.
 
Little Rock returns to action against Louisiana Tech on Wednesday at 6 p.m., at Gary Hogan Field.