Trojans Earn Four-Game Series Sweep of Fort Wayne

LITTLE ROCK – Earning its first four-game series sweep since 2005, Little Rock baseball took a 5-1 win in the series finale over Fort Wayne on Sunday afternoon at Gary Hogan Field.
 
The Trojans (6-6) victory over the Mastodons (3-9) improved their overall winning streak to four games while it was also their sixth consecutive win at home.
 
"I'm proud of our guys for getting the weekend sweep," head coach Chris Curry said. "It's hard to sweep anybody in Division I baseball because everybody works hard, coaches well and recruits well. It was just a really gritty weekend that we grinded through, and we did what we needed to do."
 
Cameron Knight was the Trojans' top offensive performer as he went 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs. Hunter Owens advanced his hitting streak to 12 games with a 2 for 3 day at the plate. Owens now has at least two hits in each of the last six games. Keegan Meyn and Zach Baker each had solo home runs for the Trojans.
 
On the mound, starter Cole Townsend (1-0) earned his first career win as he went 6.1 innings, struck out seven and allowed just two hits and two walks. The Trojans' bullpen of Matt McDowell, Ryan LeMoine, Dylan Slayton and Joe Corbett struck out five and allowed just one Fort Wayne run to score. The Mastodons' Mitchell Ley (1-1) took the loss as he gave up two runs in six innings of work.
 
Scoreless through four and a half innings, Meyn delivered a two-out solo home run to left and put Little Rock up 1-0. Just one inning later, Baker hit his solo shot to left center to give the Trojans a 2-0 lead.
 
Little Rock's big inning came in the eighth as Cameron Knight hit a three-run homer to left for his first of the season.
 
With the Trojans up 5-0 entering the ninth, Fort Wayne loaded the bases with two outs. A five-pitch walk to Mike Snyder scored Jake Weber to break up the shutout. However, the Mastodons left the bases loaded as Corbett earned his third strikeout of the inning to end the game.
 
Little Rock will wrap up its five-game homestand in midweek action against Oral Roberts on Tuesday at 6 p.m.