THIBODAUX, La. – Little Rock split its Saturday doubleheader as part of the Louisiana's Cajun Bayou Mardi Gras Classic in Thibodaux, falling to McNeese 14-2 in seven innings before responding with an 11-4 win over Nicholls in the nightcap. Little Rock improves to 5-2 on the year.
Game One: McNeese 14, Little Rock 2 (7)
McNeese jumped on Little Rock early and often, scoring a season-high for an opponent with 14 runs and handing the Trojans a 14-2 loss in a game called after seven innings.
The Cowboys scored three times in the first, third and fourth innings and once in the second, building a commanding 10-0 lead after the fourth. Little Rock responded with a pair in the top of the sixth, coming off the bats of players making their Trojan debuts.
John Michael Russ notched his first career hit off a single to center, driving in
Will Spears for his first career RBI. He was followed by
Houston Parker getting both his first career hit and RBI, bringing
Garrett Scott home to cut the deficit to 10-2.
But McNeese responded with four more runs in the bottom of the sixth, upping the lead to 14-2, then held the Trojans scoreless in the seventh to institute the mercy rule.
Eli Sievert picked up the loss for the Trojans, going 2.1 innings and allowing seven runs, only two of which were earned.
Gage Trahan and
Calvin Hunt also made their Trojan debuts against McNeese on the mound with Hunt registering a pair of strikeouts.
Miguel Soto continued his hot start to the season, going 2-for-3 from the plate. Six other Trojans registered hits on the afternoon with Spears, Russ and Parker each tallying their first hits in a Little Rock uniform.
Game Two: Little Rock 11, Nicholls 4
Looking to bounce back from the setback earlier in the afternoon, Little Rock once again took the field against Nicholls. The Colonels took the early 1-0 lead in the first inning, putting the Trojans in another hole.
Little Rock responded with three runs in the third, beginning with
Jorden Hussein scoring on an error off a double steal attempt to tie the game at 1-1.
Miguel Soto then ripped a single up the middle to score
Nathan Lyons, promptly followed by an RBI double from
Ramon Padilla to bring
Kale Emshoff home and give the Trojans the 3-1 lead.
After Nicholls closed the deficit to 3-2 after three, Emshoff reached base on a fielding error by the second baseman, allowing Lyons to trot home from third and give Little Rock the 4-2 lead. The Colonels scores two in the bottom half of the inning, tying the game at 4-4 to set up the monster Trojan seventh.
Little Rock scored seven times in the seventh, beginning with a single by
Tim Dixon through the left side to begin a crazy play, leading to runs scored by Soto and Emshoff courtesy of an error by the Colonel left fielder. That made the score 6-4, extended to 7-4 off a bunt single by Hussein.
Lyons, who finished 4-for-6 on the evening, then sent a single through the left side with the bases loaded, bringing Dixon and
Tyler Williams home and extending the Trojan lead to 9-4.
Garrett Scott grounded out to short, but it was enough to drive Hussein home, and the inning concluded with an RBI single by Emshoff, bringing Lyons home to make it 11-4.
Austin Smith, who came on in the sixth to relieve
Aaron Funk, then shut the door on the Colonels over the final three innings, allowing no hits and registering a pair of strikeouts to earn the win, improving to 2-0 in his Trojan career. Funk went 5.2 innings, giving up four runs on six hits with six strikeouts
At the plate, Lyons was the hot bat for Little Rock with his 4-for-6 night, accounting for nearly a third of Little Rock's 13 hits. Soto went 2-for-5 as he now has recorded multiple hits in all seven games for the Trojans and is batting a team-best .556.
Emshoff went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a pair of runs scored while Padilla and Hussein each tallied two hits apiece with an RBI on the night. Hussein scored twice as Lyons crossed home plate three times for the Trojans.
Little Rock will close out its time in the Bayou tomorrow afternoon, facing Southern at Didier Field. Opening pitch against the Jaguars is set for 1 p.m.
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