TROY, Ala - Little Rock and Troy engaged in a pitching duel Saturday afternoon, combining for just 10 hits on the day at Riddle-Pace Field. Troy plated the only two runs of the game in the third inning, handing Little Rock the 2-0 defeat.
On the mound for Little Rock,
Hayden Arnold lasted 4.2 innings, giving up the two runs on five hits with four walks and two strikeouts, earning the loss. Reliever
Pablo Ortiz kept Troy in check over the final 3.1 innings, keeping Troy hitless during that span with three strikeouts and a walk.
For Troy, however, starter Daren Osby frustrated Little Rock batters all afternoon, allowing just four hits in seven innings with four strikeouts to earn the victory.
Those five hits were scattered over four innings with Little Rock's greatest threat coming in the seventh as
Troy Alexander and
Chase Coker both registered singles and advanced to second and third on a
Nick Perez walk, loading the bases. But a two-out strikeout ended Little Rock's scoring chance.
Matt Merino,
Kale Emshoff and
James Gann recorded the other three hits on the day for Little Rock as the Trojans stranded six runners on the day.
All of Troy's damage came in the third as a fielder's choice to Merino with the bases loaded scored the game's first run. With two runners on, Troy knocked a shot through the right side to score the second run of the game, but Little Rock kept the damage to two as the relay from Coker to Emshoff prevented another run to end the inning.
Little Rock and Troy will play the rubber match of their three-game series Sunday with first pitch scheduled to take place at 1 p.m.
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