Trojans Tame Golden Lions in 12-6 Midweek Win

LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock avenged a loss from earlier this season with a dominating 12-6 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Tuesday at Gary Hogan Field. The Trojans improve their record to 26-20 on the season and are now 13-7 at home.
 
Eight different Trojans had at least one hit in the game with Nick Perez leading the way going 3-for-4 at the plate and driving in three RBI's and scoring twice.
 
Marcus Ragan extended his hitting streak to eleven-straight in impressive fashion recording three hits as well, scoring twice and bringing in one run.
 
The hero from Sunday's win over South Alabama, Chase Coker, kept his momentum going with a 2-for-3 performance to drive in two RBI and recorded his sixth triple on the year, adding to his program record for triples in a single season.
 
Hayden Arnold, Mason Leeming, Carter Brown and Cody Daylor each threw two innings a piece with Corey Flanagan throwing the final inning in his third appearance on the year.
 
Leeming gets the win on the night improving to 1-0 since Arnold only went two innings and five is required to register a win by the starter.
 
"I'm really proud of the pitching, number one, as we were throwing the ball across the plate and getting strikes with a bunch of different guys," said head coach Chris Curry. "Nick Perez had a great night for us, and its key in a midweek game to get those early hits and jump out to an early lead, and Nick's double set the tone.
 
"We had the opportunity to play a few different guys and keep everyone sharp as we head down the back stretch of our season. It was a good win against a very good UAPB team."
 
Little Rock jumped out to huge lead right out the gates getting six runs in the first inning. Ragan made sure to keep the hitting streak alive leading off the game with a single followed by Coker taking a five-pitch walk.
 
Matt Merino loaded the bases with a single of his own and then Kale Emshoff hit a hard grounder to third that the UAPB fielder couldn't handle, allowing Ragan to score for the first run of the game and keep the bases loaded.
 
The Sun Belt leader in batting average against conference opponents, Ryan Benavidez, then battled a long at-bat, only to be hit by a pitch to let Coker leisurely trot home.
 
Perez than registered all of his RBIs in his first at-bat with a bases clearing double to left-center, bringing three Trojans across the plate.
 
The batting order made it back around to Ragan in the first where he tallied his RBI with a single up the middle to bring around Nick Perez and cap off the six-run inning.
 
UAPB answered in the second with a run by a walk and an error. Little Rock then responded in the third inning came from Reyes scoring thanks to Coker's triple.
 
The Trojans then broke the game open with three runs in the fifth and two in the sixth, extending their lead to 12-2. The offensive outburst started in the fifth inning with a Riley Pittman solo home run over the right field wall, his fifth of the year.
 
Reyes and Ragan each than singled to give Coker runners on the corners with one out and he hit a dribbler down the third base line the fielder couldn't handle on the charge, scoring Reyes and allowing Ragan to advance to third. Ragan then scored on a sacrifice fly from Merino, giving Little Rock the 10-2 lead after five.
 
Benavidez led off the sixth inning off with a double to the right field wall and Perez then gave Little Rock runners on the corner with a single to move Benavidez to third. A wild pitch by the UAPB allowed Benavidez to score and moved Perez to third.
 
Pittman would draw a walk to put runners on first and third again with Troy Alexander up to the plate. Alexander broke his hitting funk with a single to right field to score Perez and give Little Rock the 10-run cushion.
 
That lead carried into the ninth before the Golden Lions tried to mount a massive comeback in the top of the last inning, tagging Flanagan for four runs to cut the deficit in half. But the lead was too great as the Trojans cruised to the 12-6 victory.

Little Rock now hits the road for the final time in the 2018 regular season and will have quite the challenge on its hands, heading to Conway, South Carolina for its first-ever meeting with Coastal Carolina this weekend. The Chanticleers, the 2016 College World Series champions, sit atop the Sun Belt Conference at 32-16 overall and 18-6 in Sun Belt play.
 
The three-game series gets underway Friday, May 11 and continues through Sunday, May 13, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. CT on Friday and Saturday with an 11 a.m. CT start Sunday.
 
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