Little Rock Hangs On to Take Series Opener

LITTLE ROCK- Chandler Fidel nearly went the distance in Little Rock's 4-3 win over Troy in the series opener Friday night, tossing 8.2 innings to earn the win.
 
The ace only allowed three runs in his outing, racking up a career-high 12 strikeouts while scattering three hits and two walks on the night.
 
Ryan Benavidez paced the Trojan offense with a perfect 3-for-3 night, scoring two runs and drawing a walk. Christian Reyes had another productive night in the leadoff spot, going 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Hitting in the nine-hole, Chase Coker used his speed to steal two bases while going 1-for-3 with a run scored.
 
"Whenever it's his [Fidel's] day, he is always the best option," said Head Coach Chris Curry. "We had a conversation with him after the eighth, he wanted the ball and asked for the ball like all Friday-night guys do. Donavin Buck did a great job coming in and made some huge pitches for us."
 
The Trojans got on the board in the first inning when they were the beneficiaries of a defensive mishap by the Troy defense. Riley Pittman reached first after striking out swinging and Benavidez was caught in a rundown between third base and home plate. Troy couldn't manage to handle the ball in the rundown and Benavidez came home to score the first run of the game, giving his team a 1-0 lead.
 
Little Rock scored three runs in the third inning to take a commanding 4-0 lead. Coker lead things off with a solid line drive to left field before swiping both second and third base to get into scoring position.
 
Reyes stepped up to the plate and poked a ball into center field to plate Coker. Pittman then launched a deep fly ball to center field to score Reyes with a sacrifice fly before Troy Alexander tapped a ball to third base and beat the throw to first to drive in Benavidez.
 
Troy would not go away, however, and used two solo home runs over the fifth and sixth innings to cut the deficit to 4-2. In the seventh, the visitors made it 4-3 by tacking on another run.
 
Fidel continued his strong night on the mound before surrendering a walk with two outs in the ninth. With his pitch count at 125, Curry went to his bullpen and handed the ball off to Buck who would get the strikeout to seal the victory for the hosts. The senior would earn his seventh save of the season.
 
Little Rock will meet Troy for game two tomorrow, first pitch set for 2 p.m. at Gary Hogan Field.
 
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