LITTLE ROCK – Once again, Little Rock registered some early runs, then a strong pitching performance brought it home as the Trojans open Sun Belt Conference play with a 4-1 victory over Louisiana Friday night at Gary Hogan Field.
Starter
Chandler Fidel went the distance for Little Rock, earning the complete game win by allowing just one run on three hits with six strikeouts on 121 total pitches. It was Fidel's first victory of the season (1-2) as the Trojans improve to 6-12 overall and 1-0 in Sun Belt play.
After a shaky first inning which saw Louisiana plate its lone run of the game aided by a hit by pitch and a walk, Fidel settled into his zone. The junior retired 17 of the next 18 Ragin' Cajun batters with the lone blemish a single to left with two outs in the fifth.
During that stretch, the Trojans would provide all the run support he would need. Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the first, Little Rock evened the score on a sacrifice fly to right by
Riley Pittman, bringing
Christian Reyes home from third after Reyes led off the inning with a five-pitch walk.
Little Rock struck again in the fourth when
Josh Nowak led off the inning with a hard line drive single to right field. That set the stage for
James Gann who belted the first pitch he saw deep to right center as the winds carried it beyond the outfield wall for his fourth home run of the year, giving Little Rock the 3-1 lead.
The Trojans added an insurance run in the fifth as Reyes once again drew a leadoff walk, then advanced to second on a deep flyout from
Ryan Benavidez.
Garrett Scott would drill a 1-1 pitch to left, allowing Reyes to score from second and give the Trojans the 4-1 lead.
That would be all the run support Fidel would need as he sent the Ragin' Cajuns down in order in the sixth and seventh innings. The Ragin' Cajuns would threaten in the eighth, getting a lead off single and a walk to put two runners on with one out, but a ground out and a fly out thwarted the Louisiana rally attempt.
Fidel returned to the mound in the ninth and put the Ragin' Cajuns down in order for the fifth time, notching his second complete game of the season and fourth of his Little Rock career.
Little Rock managed six hits against the Louisiana pitching staff, two of which came from Gann. Benavidez, Scott, Nowak and
Eldrige Figueroa tallied the other four to help Little Rock win for the third time in the last four games.
The Sun Belt opening series against Louisiana resumes Saturday with a 2 p.m. first pitch at Gary Hogan Field as
Jose Torres is scheduled to get the start for Little Rock.
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