LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock's pitching staff registered 19 strikeouts on the afternoon, highlighted by a career-high 10 out of the bullpen by
Dillon Delgadillo, as the Trojans rally for a 6-4 win over Grambling State to close out the season-opening home stand. Little Rock improves to 3-1 on the year, its best start to a season since going 5-0 to open the 2014 campaign.
Entering the game trailing 4-3 in the fifth, Delgadillo was dominant on the mound for Little Rock, recording 10 strikeouts and allowing just one hit on 69 pitches in 4.1 innings to earn the win. That came on the heels of
Cole Evans finishing with six strikeouts in 2.0 innings of work, notching a K for every out he recorded.
Little Rock had to rally, however, after a tough third inning which saw Grambling score four runs on just one hit, a three-RBI double following a hit-by-pitch and three walks. It gave the Tigers the 4-1 lead following an RBI single from
Miguel Soto in the first.
The Trojans began to chip away at the lead in the bottom of the fourth as an RBI double from
Tucker Childers scored Soto, cutting the deficit in half at 4-2.
Tim Dixon then notched an RBI single in the next at bat, scoring Childers and getting Little Rock within one at 4-3.
The score remained the same until the seventh when Soto recorded his second RBI of the day, sending an RBI single to left to score
Nathan Lyons and advance
Kobe Barnum to third. Childers then sent a towering shot to left to allow Barnum to score, giving the Trojans the 5-4 lead.
Little Rock added an insurance run in the eight as a leadoff single by
Tyler Williams, followed by a stolen base and a balk advanced him to third.
Eldrige Figueroa laid down a textbook sacrifice bunt down the first base line, allowing Williams to score and extend the lead to 6-4.
Delgadillo then shut the door in the ninth with two more strikeouts to notch the third win of the year for the Trojans.
The Trojans scattered 11 hits on the afternoon, including a pair each for Soto, Childers and Williams. Little Rock's pitching staff limited Grambling to just three hits on the day as starter
Cal Beardsley also added three strikeouts and a pair of hits.
Little Rock now hits the road for a six game road swing, beginning this weekend in Thibodaux, Louisiana, to compete in the Mardi Gras Classic. The Trojans will play a pair of games each against Nicholls and McNeese, beginning Friday with a 6 p.m. first pitch against the Colonels.
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