Trojans Suffer Extra-Innings Loss in Series Opener

Box Score STATESBORO, Ga.- The Trojans suffered a heartbreaking extra-innings loss to Georgia Southern in the series opener Friday night in Statesboro by the score 7-6.
 
Chandler Fidel got the start and tossed five innings, allowing four earned runs with three strikeouts. Dillon Delgadillo threw three innings of one-hit ball, keeping the Eagles off the board in innings six through eight.
 
Riley Pittman led Little Rock with three hits on the night, going 3-for-5 with a walk. James Gann was 2-for-5 on the day, hitting a two-run home run. Christian Reyes and Eldridge Figueroa also put together two-hit days at the plate.
 
Georgia Southern got on the board first with a two-run first inning to quickly jump out to a 2-0 lead.
 
After three consecutive scoreless innings, The Eagles tacked on another run in the fifth to extend their lead to three runs.
 
The Trojans got themselves back in the game in the sixth inning with a two-run blast from Gann. The senior's sixth home run of the season made the score 3-2 with three innings left to play, however, Georgia Southern would respond with a solo home run to push their lead back to two runs.
 
Two more scoreless innings brought us to a very eventful ninth inning. Trailing 4-2 and down to their final out, Chase Coker was hit by a pitch to start the rally for the Trojans. Reyes slapped a single to right field before Ryan Benavidez worked a walk to load the bases. Garrett Scott then stepped up to the plate and smacked a line drive to left-center which cleared the bases, giving Little Rock a 5-4 lead. The visitors were not done, however, as Gann knocked one into left field to score Scott and give his team a 6-4 advantage heading into the bottom half of the ninth.
 
The hosts would mount a comeback of their own, scoring twice in the ninth to even the score 6-6. After two innings of scoreless baseball, the Eagles managed to grab a walk-off win with a well-executed squeeze bunt to steal the series opener.
 
Donavin Buck would be charged with the loss, falling to 1-3 on the season.
 
Little Rock will play game two tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. CT with a chance to even up the series.
 
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