TROY, Ala. – Little Rock used a three-run fifth inning and another solid pitching performance to take its Sun Belt opening series, downing Troy 3-1 Sunday afternoon. Little Rock improves to 11-9 on the year and 2-1 in conference play.
Little Rock's pitching and defense once again game up big once again, holding Troy to just one run on eight hits. Starter Ethan Dailey limited Troy to three hits in 2.1 innings pitched, relieved by
Donavin Buck allowing just one run on four hits in 3.1 innings with three strikeouts, earning the win and improving to 3-0 on the year.
Justin Garcia then picked up his fourth save on the year, working 3.1 innings to do so. Garcia shut down Troy's bats, holding the Alabama Trojans to just one hit and striking out three, earning his fourth save of the season.
Troy got on the board in the bottom of the fourth off an RBI triple, the lone blemish on Buck's performance.
But Little Rock responded quickly, scoring three in the top of the fifth, beginning with an RBI bunt from
Matt Merino that scored Ryan Benavides.
Kale Emshoff then rocketed a two-out double to the wall, scoring both Merino and
Riley Pittman and giving both Buck and Garcia the two-run lead they would need.
Merino and
Nick Perez both finished 2-for-4 on the day with Pittman, Emshoff and
Marcus Ragan accounting for Little Rock's eight hits on the day.
The win marked Little Rock's second-straight road series victory and its first series victory over Troy since sweeping the Trojans in 2016. Little Rock has now held its opponents to two runs or fewer in its last five games, going 4-1 during that span.
Little Rock will forego its midweek games this week before continuing conference play with its first Sun Belt home series of the year against UT Arlington. Game one of the series is scheduled for Friday, March 23 at 6 p.m. at
Gary Hogan Field, followed by game two at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 24. The series wraps up with a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday, March 25.
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