LITTLE ROCK - A pair of two-run home runs in the fifth inning sparked Little Rock to a 6-2 win over Arkansas State Saturday afternoon at Gary Hogan Field. The Trojans close out the 2018 regular season at 27-26 and 15-14 in Sun Belt Conference play, snapping a seven-game losing skid in the process.
With the regular season complete, Little Rock will be the number seven seed in the 2018 Sun Belt Conference tournament next week in Lafayette, Louisiana. The Trojans finished a half game back of Texas State (16-14) for the number six seed and will have to play its way out of the single-elimination round on Tuesday, May 22.
On a hot May afternoon at Gary Hogan Field, Little Rock's bats warmed up over the final four innings as the Trojans scored all six of their runs on nine hits after managing just one hit over the first four innings. Eight of the nine Little Rock starters registered a hit on the day, led by a 3-for-4 effort from
Nick Perez with three RBI and a pair of runs scored.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth, the offensive surge began with
Riley Pittman drawing a walk on a nine-pitch at-bat, which was followed two pitches later by Perez' two-run homer to left center, putting the Trojans on top 2-1. With one out,
Marcus Ragan was hit by a pitch to put a runner on for
Ryan Benavidez, who sent the third pitch he saw deep down the right field line, staying fair to put the Trojans up 4-1 after five.
After holding the Red Wolves scoreless in the sixth,
James Gann led off the Trojans' half of the inning with a double down the left field line, then advanced to third on a Pittman ground out to second. Perez came up big once again, sending a shot back up the middle to bring Gann home and extend Little Rock's lead to 5-1.
A
Christian Reyes single gave the Trojans two on with one out in the inning, setting the stage for an RBI single for
Marcus Ragan, bringing Perez home and putting Little Rock in control at 6-1.
That lead was plenty for starter
Aaron Funk who stymied the Arkansas State bats all day. Funk went seven innings, allowing just one run (unearned) on six hits with four strikeouts and throwing 102 pitches, earning his second win of the season.Â
With the five-run lead intact heading to the eighth, the Trojans turned the ball over to senior
Justin Garcia for his final appearance at Gary Hogan Field. Garcia, who set the program record with his 34th appearance, held Arkansas State to just one run on two hits while striking out three over the final two innings, preserving the victory for Funk.
The Trojans close out the 2018 season with a 14-9 record at home, posting 27 wins for the first time since 2013 as the 15 conference victories is the third-most for Little Rock since the Trojans joined the league in 1992.
Little Rock now awaits an opponent, but know that it will begin its quest for a Sun Belt Conference tournament title at 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 22 at Russo Park in Lafayette, Louisiana. Follow
@LittleRockBSBÂ throughout the duration of the tournament to keep up to date on the Trojans' time in Louisiana.
#LittleRocksTeam
