BOONE, N.C. – Little Rock's bats continued to thrive in the Appalachian mountains, breaking out 12 runs on 14 hits to capture the weekend series against Appalachian State 12-6 Sunday afternoon, wrapping up its eight-game road trip.
The victory improves the Trojans to 23-19 on the season and 12-8 in Sun Belt Conference play as the Trojans remain in first place of the Sun Belt West Division.
After scoring just 15 runs in the first five games of the season-long road swing, the Trojans crossed home plate 28 times in the three-game set in Boone. The 12 runs on the day is tied for the second-most in a game this season for Little Rock, one shy of the 13 runs scored in the 15-13 loss against UT Arlington on March 24.
"I'm really proud of our guys for how they battled and fought all weekend," said head coach
Chris Curry. "What a job Buck, Garcia and Perez did as Garcia threw all three days and Buck and Perez both came in Friday and today. Our offense was relentless today. We knew it would take all day and the guys kept fighting and they don't quit. I'm very proud of them."
All but two of Little Rock's starters registered at least one hit in the series finale, led by three hits each for
Matt Merino and Ryan Benavides. Benavidez was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a home run, driving in one and scoring three times himself while Merino finished 3-for-6 with two doubles and a pair of RBI.
Christian Reyes and
Chase Coker each tallied a pair of hits against the Mountaineer pitching staff while
Nick Perez went 1-for-5 with three RBI while also pitching a scoreless inning in relief.
Kale Emshoff also drove in a pair of runs and scored one himself for Little Rock.
App State struck first in the bottom of the first inning, connecting on a two-out single which scored a pair of Mountaineers, putting the Trojans in an early 2-0 hole.
Little Rock began chipping away at the deficit in the top of the second as
Riley Pittman knocked a solo home run over the right field wall, cutting Appalachian State's lead in half at 2-1. The Trojans then flipped the lead in the top of the third off a two RBI single from
Kale Emshoff, bringing
Danny Mitchell Jr. and
Marcus Ragan home to put Little Rock on top 3-2.
The Trojans added another run in the fourth as
Chase Coker drilled a double to right center, plating
Christian Reyes and giving Little Rock the 4-2 lead. However that advantage was wiped away in the bottom half of the inning as a Mountaineer two-run home run evened the tally to 4-4 after four complete.
The scoring momentum carried into the fifth as the Trojans put together a crucial four-run inning, breaking the game open at 8-4. The inning with a
Matt Merino double down the left field line, followed by Emshoff drawing a 3-2 walk. With one gone,
Nick Perez blasted the first pitch he saw over the left field wall, giving Little Rock the 7-4 lead.
Not to be outdone,
Ryan Benavidez joined the home run party, sending the next pitch over the right field wall as the Trojans doubled up the Mountaineers 8-4 after six complete.
Little Rock was kept off the board in the sixth but Applachian State would threaten in the home half of the inning as a pair of singles and a 3-2 walk loaded the bases for the Mountaineers. But
Donavin Buck was able to draw a long fly out to Pittman down the right field line, ending Appalachian State's threat.
Benavides struck again in the seventh, drawing a four-pitch walk before advancing to second on a wild pitch. Reyes then knocked a single to short who mishandled the play, allowing Benavidez to cross the plate and push the Trojans' lead to 9-4.
Appalachian State chipped away at the Little Rock lead with a run in both the seventh and eighth innings, pulling to within three at 9-6, leaving a pair of runners in scoring position in the seventh.
But Little Rock ensured it would win its seventh series of the season with three runs in the top of the ninth to put the game away. Emshoff led off the stanza with a double, followed by Reyes being hit by a pitch and Coker with a bunt single to load the bases. Mitchell Jr. brought Benavides home on a ground out to second, setting the stage for Merino who plated two more on a two-out single to give the Trojans the 12-6 cushion.
Donavin Buck picks up the win for the Trojans, improving to 5-0 on the year after coming on to pitch the fifth and sixth innings and limiting the Mountaineers to one run on three hits. Starter
Aaron Funk pitched the first four innings, allowing three runs on four hits, while
Justin Garcia and Perez combined to allow one run on three hits over the final three innings.
After spending the last two weeks on the road, playing eight games in three different states, Little Rock finally returns to
Gary Hogan Field for weekend series against South Alabama. Game one against the Jaguars is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, May 4.
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