Trojans Break Away With 15-Run Win Over Fort Wayne

LITTLE ROCK – A 19-hit day powered Little Rock baseball past Fort Wayne by a score of 17-2 in the series opener on Friday afternoon at Gary Hogan Field.
 
Hunter Owens had the big offensive performance for Little Rock (3-6) as he went 4 for 5 with five RBIs, three runs and a double. Cameron Knight went a perfect 4 for 4 and walked twice as the designated hitter. Ty Gunter was 3 for 5 with two RBIs, a double, a run and one walk. Zach Baker went 3 for 4 with four runs, a double, one RBI and two walks. Danny Mitchell Jr. was the fifth Trojan to have multiple hits as he went 2 for 5 with two runs, a double and an RBI. Getting a couple RBIs of his own was Kale Emshoff as he went 1 for 4 with a double.
 
Freshman right-hander Carter Brown (1-0) earned his first win of the year in his first collegiate start. Brown went 6.0 innings, struck out seven and allowed just two runs on two hits and three walks. After Brown exited the game, Cody McGill, Zach Ours and McKinley Moore allowed nothing and struck out five out of the bullpen.
 
"I'm proud of Carter Brown for settling in and throwing over the plate through the sixth inning," head coach Chris Curry said. "After that, I thought our bullpen was outstanding. They were just throwing the ball over plate."
 
After the Mastodons (3-6) went down in order to begin the game, the Trojans came out swinging with seven runs on seven hits and an error in the bottom of the first. Mitchell Jr. and Baker hit back-to-back doubles to get the game started as Mitchell Jr. scored the game's first run. With runners on the corners, Owens singled through the left side to score Baker. With bases loaded, the Trojans grounded into a double play, but Dalton Thomas was able to score from third. Emshoff earned both of his RBIs on a double as Gunter and Owens scored. Emshoff scored as Bryce Dimitroff reached on a throwing error. Little Rock batted around as Mitchell Jr. delivered on an RBI single through the right side for his second hit of the inning.
 
Fort Wayne got on the scoreboard in the second inning with two runs on one hit. With two on base, Zak Kellogg tripled to score the Mastodons' only two runs of the game.
 
Little Rock made it 8-2 in the bottom of the second with an RBI single by Gunter as Thomas scored his second run of the afternoon.
 
The Trojans kept the pressure on in the bottom of the third with two runs on four hits and an error. Little Rock grounded into another double play, but Dimitroff scored on the play. An RBI single by Owens put Little Rock up 10-2. That would be all for Fort Wayne starter Jake Weber (0-1) as he allowed 10 runs (seven earned) on 13 hits and two walks through just three innings.
 
After a scoreless fourth inning, the Trojans put up two more in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings. Owens and Gunter had a pair of RBI singles in the fifth, and Owens took his fifth RBI of the game in the sixth with a two-RBI double in the sixth.
 
Little Rock capped off its hit parade with three more runs on one hit in the bottom of the eighth.  With bases loaded, Baker scored on wild pitch for the Trojans' 15th run of the game. A sacrifice fly to right by Riley Pittman scored Keegan Meyn before Owens scored his third run of the game on a wild pitch.
 
The Trojans have now put up 11 or more hits in three consecutive games and in five of nine games this season. The last time Little Rock scored 17 runs in a game was last season at ULM.
 
"Obviously, we're pleased with the results, however, there were a lot of mistakes that happened during the game that we have to correct," Curry said. "We still have to eliminate those mistakes that are getting us beat in tighter games. However, we challenged them before the game, and they answered that challenge. I'm curious to see how we play all weekend."
 
Little Rock will face Fort Wayne in a doubleheader on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for noon at Gary Hogan Field.