Little Rock Splits Doubleheader With Tennessee Tech

LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock baseball (21-19) split its doubleheader with Tennessee Tech (22-19) by winning the first game 10-5 and taking a 14-7 loss in the second game on Saturday night at Gary Hogan Field.
 
GAME 1
 
Little Rock came out swinging in the first inning as Dalton Thomas hit an RBI double to score Ryan Scott, and then Cameron Knight doubled down the right field line to score Thomas. With two out in the second inning, Hayden Martin hit an RBI single back up the middle as Keegan Meyn scored to give the Trojans a 3-0 lead.
 
After a scoreless third inning, Little Rock had its biggest inning of the game as it scored five runs on six hits. With runners in scoring position, Zach Baker scored on a passed ball while Ty Gunter moved to third. Martin hit an RBI single to right and scored Gunter. Scott hit an RBI double to right to plate Martin. After Tennessee Tech changed pitchers, Thomas hit an RBI double to left to score Scott. Nik Gifford hit the Trojans' third consecutive RBI double to center to plate Thomas and give Little Rock an 8-0 lead.
 
The Trojans struck for two more runs on three hits in the fifth. After Baker led the inning off with a double, Gunter hit an RBI single to left. Scott once again earned an RBI on a one-out single to right to put the Trojans up 10-0.
 
The Golden Eagles began to claw their way back in the sixth. With a runner on second and two outs, Chase Chambers hit an RBI single to center to plate Tennessee Tech's first run.
 
Tennessee Tech struck once again in the eighth. With bases loaded and one out, Chambers hit an RBI single up the middle. David Garza came up and hit a two-run double to center. Chambers then scored on a wild pitch to cut the Trojans' lead to 10-5. That would be all the Golden Eagles could muster as they were blanked in the top of the ninth.
 
Matt McDowell (2-1) picked up the win after throwing 6.0 innings and striking out four while giving up just one run, three hits and four walks on 99 pitches.
 
GAME 2
 
Little Rock began the second game of Saturday's doubleheader with another hot start as it scored three runs to begin the game. With runners on the corners, Gifford picked up an RBI on a ground out to second as Scott scored the game's first run. Knight then blasted his second home run of the season with a two-run shot to left center.
 
With the Trojans up 3-0 entering the fourth inning, the Golden Eagles knotted the game with three runs on four hits. Ryan Flick picked up the RBI as he walked with the bases loaded. With two outs and the bases still loaded, Connor Goodspeed ripped a two-run single center.
 
Tennessee Tech took their first lead of the day in the fifth inning as Jake Farr hit a solo shot down the right field line to put the Golden Eagles up 4-3. The momentum carried over into the sixth as Tennessee Tech scored four more runs. After Trevor Putzig got on with a leadoff single, Flick hit an RBI double to right. With bases loaded and one out, Farr came through with an RBI single to second. A two-run single through the right side by Kevin Strohschein put the Golden Eagles up 8-3.
 
Little Rock responded with four runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning. With bases loaded, Knight hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Martin. After Baker walked to once again load the bases, Gunter hit a three-run double down the left field line to clear the bases and put the Trojans within striking distance at 8-7.
 
Things didn't go as planned for Little Rock as Tennessee Tech broke it wide open in the top of the ninth by scoring runs to take a 14-7 lead. Putzig tripled to right center to begin the inning and scored with one out as Garza reached on a fielding error. With runners in scoring position, Josh Pankratz picked the RBI on a fielder's choice as Garza was able to score. A bunt single by Alex Junior plated another run for the Golden Eagles. It didn't get any better as Farr hit a three-run homer to right field, his second of the game, to give Tennessee Tech a seven-run lead. The Trojans' ran out of gas in the bottom of the ninth as they went down in order to end the game.
 
Starter Cory Malcom picked up the no-decision after throwing 4.0 inning and striking out five while allowing three runs on five hits and two walks. Joe Corbett (3-1) took his first loss after pitching 1.2 innings and allowing four runs on three hits.
 
"It was disappointing and unfortunate to see us get away from our plan and approach in the second game," head coach Chris Curry said. "Walks have been our struggle all year long, and I feel like we created our own mess at times on the mound. Tennessee Tech can really hit, and we knew that coming in. It became a battle of the bullpens as we got into theirs in the first game, and they got into ours in the second game. We'll probably be in for another back-and-forth offensive day tomorrow, and it will be a battle of toughness"
 
Little Rock and Tennessee Tech will play the rubber game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.