Trojans Drop Doubleheader to App State

LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock baseball (10-18, 3-6 Sun Belt) suffered two losses to Appalachian State (12-16, 3-6) by scores of 3-2 and 7-6 in Saturday's doubleheader at Gary Hogan Field.
 
GAME 1 RECAP
 
The first game of the day was a pitcher's duel as Appalachian State took the 3-2 win with just five hits. Little Rock tallied eight hits for the game.
 
Dalton Thomas and Cale Ridling each went 2 for 4 while Thomas scored a run. Christian Reyes was 1 for 2, and Riley Pittman was 1 for 3 with a run and a walk.
 
The game began with three scoreless innings before Little Rock broke up the monotony in the fourth inning with a pair of runs on two hits and an error. With the bases loaded after a Nik Gifford walk, Bryce Dimitroff picked up an RBI on a sacrifice fly to right that scored Thomas. After Ridling loaded the bases once again with a single to short, Pittman walked on a 3-1 count to bring Cameron Knight home.
 
App State knotted the game at 2-2 in the top of the sixth. With a runner on first and two outs, Tyler Stroup hit a two-run jack over the right field wall.
 
The Mountaineers plated the go-ahead run just one inning later to take a 3-2 lead. Calev Grubbs reached on a fielding error and as Connor Leonard scored from third.
 
Trojan starter Ryan LeMoine (0-3) took the loss after throwing 6.2 innings, striking out five and allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks. App State's Colin Schmid (4-3) earned the win as he went six innings and struck out four while allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks.
 
GAME 2 RECAP
 
Little Rock came out swinging in the series finale with 17 hits for the game — the second-most hits by the Trojans this season. However, Little Rock left its third-most runners on base this season with 11.
 
Six Trojans had multiple hits for the game. Dalton Thomas picked up right where he left off as he went 2 for 4 with two RBIs, a run and a walk. Hunter Owens was 3 for 5 with a run while Nik Gifford went 2 for 4 with an RBI, a run and a walk. Cameron Knight also went 2 for 4 with a walk, and Cale Ridling went 2 for 5 with an RBI. Ty Gunter went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run, and Riley Pittman went 1 for 2 with an RBI and a run.
 
App State broke it open early with three runs on three hits in the top of the third inning. With runners in scoring position after a wild pitch, Calev Grubbs picked up an RBI on a ground out to second. The next pitch was a Jason Curtis double down the left field line that scored Connor Baldy. The Mountaineers tallied back-to-back doubles down the left field line as Matt Vernon put down another to score Jason Curtis.
 
Little Rock cut into the 3-0 deficit in the bottom of the third inning. With runners on first and second and one out, Thomas hit an RBI single back up the middle to score Christian Reyes.
 
The Trojans continued to deplete the deficit in the bottom of the fourth. With runners in scoring position and one out, Gunter made it a 3-2 game with a pinch-hit single through the left side to score Gifford.
 
Little Rock finally caught up to App State in the bottom of the fifth with a run on two hits. With runners on first and second, Ridling singled to right and picked up the RBI as Thomas scored to knot the game at 3-3.
 
For the fourth consecutive inning, Little Rock put runs on the board as the Trojans' bats came alive in the bottom of the sixth with three runs on five hits and an error. After Gunter got on with a leadoff double, Pittman hit an RBI single back up the middle. With runners on the corners, Thomas singled to left and scored Pittman. After giving up his 15th hit of the game, App State starter Luke Watts was taken out in favor of lefty Tristan Helms. After a sacrifice bunt by Jonathan Davis, Knight was intentionally walked to load the bases for left-handed batter Gifford. The strategy didn't pay off for the Mountaineers as Gifford hit a single through the left side to score Owens.
 
Down 6-3, App State began its comeback in the top of the eighth inning. Tyler Stroup reached on a fielding error as Curtis and Vernon scored to make it 6-5.
 
The Mountaineers tied the game in the ninth with a one-out single by Vernon back up the middle. As Stroup singled to first with two outs, an errant throw to first allowed Vernon to score from second to put App State up once again at 7-6. The Mountaineers faced little opposition in the bottom of the inning as it took the series win with two strikeouts and a ground out.
 
App State's Matt Brill (1-3) earned the win after he threw four strikeouts and allowed just one hit in three innings of relief. Little Rock's Dylan Slayton (2-1) took the loss as went two-thirds of an inning and allowed a run on two hits. Trojan starter Chandler Fidel struck out eight in six innings of work while allowing three runs on five hits and two walks.
 
"We created our own problems in the eighth and ninth, and App State took advantage of it," head coach Chris Curry said. "Give them credit for fighting back and continuing to get after it. We're struggling with making the plays, doing the little things, executing pitches and having the at-bats all throughout the game that give us the right to earn a victory."
 
Little Rock will continue its eight-game homestand against UAPB on Tuesday at 6 p.m.