LAFAYETTE, La. – Trailing 6-4 in the ninth inning, Little Rock scored twice to force extra innings, then plated three runs in the top of the 11th to take a 9-7 win over Louisiana Sunday afternoon, salvaging the final game of its three game series.
The win improves Little Rock to 21-17 on the year and 10-7 in Sun Belt Conference play, leapfrogging both Louisiana and UT Arlington to reclaim first place in the West Division by a half game.
"Even though we lost the series, I couldn't be more proud of the heart and the fight our guys showed today, coming back three different times on the road in a hostile environment," said head coach
Chris Curry. "It just shows that this team is never out of a game and we're excited to play this thing out as we head down the stretch.
"Obviously the first two games didn't go our way, but it would have been very easy to give up after falling down 3-0 early," Curry continued. "I thought our pitching staff did another great job with
Donavin Buck holding the game and giving us opportunities and
Justin Garcia finishing it off. It was an incredible performance from
Chase Coker returning to the lineup. This is one of those wins that we can look back on and say it was very important for the season."
After failing to score in its first two games in Lafayette, Little Rock found itself facing another deficit early in the series finale, trailing the Ragin' Cajuns 3-0 after two innings.
The Trojans finally found their way onto the scoreboard in the top of the third when Chase Coke, began an incredible day at the plate, knocking an RBI single to score
Troy Alexander. Coker then stole both second and third before being driven home off an RBI double from
Marcus Ragan, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
Little Rock would pull even with Louisiana one inning later when Alexander sent a pitch back up the middle, scoring
Riley Pittman from second. That rally began a game of cat-and-mouse over the next four innings with the Cajuns being unable to put the Trojans away.
After Louisiana reclaimed the lead 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth, Coker came up big in the top of the seventh, knocking a two-out home run to left field and tying the game at 4-4. It was yet another highlight in a monster day for the Trojan second baseman who went 4-for-5 with a pair of RBI and four runs scored.
The Ragin' Cajuns scored two in the bottom of the seventh, retaking the lead at 6-4, a margin which stood heading into the ninth inning. With one out,
Ryan Benavidez delivered a ground rule double, followed by a double from Coker to put runners at second and third.
Marcus Ragan grounded out to third, but it was enough to score Benavidez and advance Coker to third, putting the tying run 90 feet away. He didn't have to wait long as on the second pitch of his at-bat,
Danny Mitchell Jr. doubled to left center, bringing Coker home as the equalizer, knotting the game at 6-6.
Justin Garcia, who entered the game in the seventh, limited Louisiana to a lone walk in the ninth, sending the game into extra innings. After both teams went down in order in the 10th, Benavidez once again got the offense rolling with a one-out single, the first of four-straight singles that broke the game open for Little Rock.
Coker registered his fourth hit of the game, advancing Benavidez to third, followed by Ragan sending the pitch back to center field to score Benavidez and give the Trojans their first lead of the series at 7-6. Mitchell then singled to right center, scoring Coker, followed by a ground out to short from
Matt Merino that brought Ragan home, giving the Trojans the 9-6 lead.
Louisiana mounted a rally of its own in the bottom of the 11th, registering a one-out triple, followed by a single to cut the deficit to 9-7. But Garcia then registered a strikeout and a line out to first, sealing the comeback for Little Rock.
After managing just seven hits in its first two games in Lafayette, Little Rock's offense posted 16 hits on the afternoon, led by the 4-for-5 performance from Coker.
Marcus Ragan finished 3-for-6 with three RBI and a run scored while
Danny Mitchell Jr.,
Kale Emshoff,
Troy Alexander and
Ryan Benavidez each tallied a pair of hits against the Cajuns, including six doubles against the Louisiana pitching staff.
Starter
Aaron Funk lasted just two innings, giving up three runs on four hits, giving way to
Donavin Buck, who allowed just one run on three hits with three strikeouts in four innings of work. Garcia pitched the final five innings for the Trojans, throwing 67 pitches and allowing three runs on six hits with five strikeouts, earning his third win of the year.
With the win, Little Rock wraps up its four-game road trip to Louisiana, but is just halfway through its season-long eight game road swing. That trek continues Tuesday in Pine Bluff when the Trojans face UAPB in the first game of a home-and-home series against the Golden Lions, getting underway at 3 p.m.
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