Trojans Tie Program Record With 16th Sun Belt Win

MONROE, La. – With a 7-6 victory over ULM (20-32, 10-17 Sun Belt), Little Rock baseball (25-23, 16-11 Sun Belt) earned its sixth Sun Belt series win of the season and tied the program record for conference victories with 16 on Sunday afternoon at Warhawk Field in Monroe.
 
Dalton Thomas had his second straight three-hit game as he went 3 for 5 with a home run, a double, one RBI and two runs.
 
Ryan Scott tied the Little Rock all-time doubles record of 41 as he went 2 for 5 with two doubles and two RBIs. Ty Gunter also went 2 for 5 with two RBIs and a run.
 
Hayden Martin and Nik Gifford each went 2 for 4 with a run while Gifford also picked up a double.
 
The Trojans wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. With two outs, Dalton Thomas jacked his ninth homer of the season on an opposite-field homer to right, giving Little Rock a 1-0 lead.
 
In the third inning, Hunter Owens got the inning started with a single to right center on the first pitch he saw. He then rounded first and took second on an error as ULM's center fielder bobbled the ball. Little Rock's all-time sacrifice bunt leader Hayden Martin laid down his 26th-career sac bunt to move Owens to third. Ryan Scott put Owens across as he hit an RBI double to the left side.
 
With a 2-0 lead entering the fourth, Ty Gunter hit a one-out single through the right side. Zach Baker brought Gunter home with an RBI double down the left field line. That would be all for ULM starter Brandon Bell (2-6) as Trey Auger took over on the mound. After Baker stole third and Kyle Kirk walked on four pitches, a balk by Auger scored Baker and moved Kirk to second. The Trojans couldn't bring Kirk home as a fly out and a ground out ended the inning with Little Rock up 4-0.
 
With one out in the fifth, Thomas picked up his second hit of the game and 80th hit of the season on a single to left. Gifford then earned his second hit of the day with a single through the right side. That would be all for ULM's Auger as Payton Coddou came on in relief. Coddou's first pitch hit Cameron Knight and loaded the bases for Gunter. A two-run single by Gunter to right scored Thomas and Gifford and upped Little Rock's lead to 6-0.
 
The bottom of the fifth got off to a rough start for the Trojans as ULM's Josh Faciane was hit by a pitch and Cade Stone walked on four pitches. On an attempted sacrifice bunt by Dalton Todd, Trojan starter Joe Corbett threw a wide throw to third and allowed two Warhawks to score. With Todd on second, a wild pitch moved him to third. After Anthony Herrera grounded out to third, another wild pitch scored Todd to cut ULM's deficit to 6-3. That would be all for Corbett as Jarrid Garica made his way out of the bullpen with one out. Garcia got the out at second on a fielder's choice before being pulled in favor of Reed Willenborg (1-2) to face the right-handed batter. Willenborg allowed a walk and a wild pitch before striking out Danny Springer to end the inning.
 
Keller Bradford came on to pitch for the Warhawks to begin the sixth inning. After Martin got on base with a one-out single, Scott hit an RBI double to right to score Martin from first. Scott's double tied the Little Rock all-time record at 41. After Thomas doubled and Gifford intentionally walked, a ground out back to the mound ended the inning with a 7-3 Trojan lead.
 
ULM put another run on the board in the bottom of the sixth. After Keenan Wingfield took over on the mound with two on and no outs, Stone loaded the bases for the Warhawks after Wingfield mishandled a sac bunt. A sacrifice fly to left by Todd scored Tyler Cox and cut Little Rock's lead to 7-4.
 
The Warhawks took another step towards the Trojans' lead in the bottom of the seventh as Jacob Stockton hit a two-out solo shot down the left field line to cut the deficit to 7-5.
 
Cody Daylor took over on the mound for Little Rock to begin the bottom of the eighth inning. Daylor walked Cox to begin the frame, and then gave up an RBI double down the left field line to Brian Barefoot. Daylor got the Trojans out of the inning with a fly out and two ground outs.
 
With Little Rock up 7-6 to begin the bottom of ninth, ULM's Nathan Reynolds got on with a leadoff walk. Reynolds would be the Warhawks final base runner of the series as a foul and two fly outs ended the game. Daylor picked up his fifth save of the season, and Willenborg picked up his second-career win.
 
"I could not be more proud of our program and the way we showed our toughness," head coach Chris Curry said. "What else can you say about a team that tied the program's 16-yar old conference-win record and is poised to make a run in the postseason?"
 
The Trojans are now guaranteed to have a winning record in conference play for just the second time in the program's 25-year run in the Sun Belt Conference. The only other time occurred in 2000 as Little Rock went 16-13 in Sun Belt play.
 
Little Rock returns to action against Central Arkansas on Tuesday as it plays its final non-conference game of the regular season at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock. Gates are set to open at 5 p.m., with first pitch taking place at 6 p.m.