THIBODAUX, La. – Little Rock rallied twice in the final four innings to force extra innings, then a two-run homerun by
Kale Emshoff in the top of the 10th put the Trojans in front for good, earning an 8-6 win over Nicholls at Ray E. Didier Field.
Little Rock improves to 4-1 on the season, picking up its first road win of the season.
Emshoff finished the night with a pair of home runs, going a perfect 4-for-4 with four RBI and a pair of runs scored.
Nathan Lyons added a pair of hits, including a two-RBI single in the sixth, and
Miguel Soto had another multi-hit night, going 2-for-5 with another double, his fourth of the year.
Tyler Williams also joined Emshoff in the home run tally, belting his first round-tripper as a Trojan in the second to help the Trojans race out to an early lead.
Little Rock struck quickly as Emshoff belted his first home run of the season in the top of the first inning, giving the Trojans the 1-0 lead early. The Trojans then added two more in the second, beginning with a sacrifice fly by
Tim Dixon to score
Miguel Soto, followed by Williams' first career home run as a Trojan to right, putting Little Rock on top 3-0.
Nicholls answered with a run in the bottom of the second, then took advantage of Little Rock miscues in the fourth to plate three runs, holding the 4-3 lead after four.
The score remained unchanged until the sixth when the Trojans were able to get
Garrett Scott and Dixon at the corners for Lyons, who ripped a shot down the right field line that allowed both to score. Reclaiming the lead at 5-4, the Trojans were looking for more in the sixth, loading the bases with two outs, but a strikeout by Soto ended the threat.
Nicholls would rally to add a run in the sixth and another in the seventh, reclaiming the lead at 6-5. The Trojans evened things up in the top of the eighth off a single to the gap in left center by Emshoff, allowing Scott to score from second and even things up at 6-6.
Still tied in the bottom of the ninth, Nicholls posed a serious threat to record the walk-off win, getting runners at the corners with just one out. But back-to-back strikeouts from
Jose Torres thwarted the threat, sending the Trojans to their first extra inning game of 2020.
In the top of the 10th, Lyons was able to get on base with a single, setting the stage for Emshoff. The redshirt junior belted his second home run of the night over the left field wall, putting Little Rock in front for good at 8-6.
The Colonels didn't go away quietly in the bottom of the 10th however, getting runners at the corners with just one out. But just like he did in the ninth, Torres registered back-to-back strikeouts to seal the win for Little Rock.
Torres pitched the final 3.2 innings for the Trojans, allowing no runs on four hits with seven strikeouts and just one walk. Starter
Hayden Arnold lasted 4.0 innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on six hits and seven strikeouts of his own. As a staff, Little Rock's pitchers struck out 16 on the evening, two days after registering 19 strikeouts against Grambling State.
Four errors haunted the Trojans, however, as Little Rock batters struck out 19 times on the night. Both teams left runs on the base paths as the Trojans stranded nine runners on base, contrasted by 10 for Nicholls.
These same two teams will meet tomorrow in the second game of a doubleheader for Little Rock, starting at 6 p.m. The early game of the day for the Trojans will be a meeting with NCAA qualifier McNeese as part of the Mardi Gras Classic in Thibodaux. First pitch against the Cowboys is set for 2 p.m.
#LittleRocksTeam
