Trojans Power Past Lions to Even Series

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Nathan Lyons was 3-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored, Tim Dixon hit his second home run of the year and made a leaping catch up the wall in right field and Little Rock powered its way past North Alabama with a series-tying 7-3 win Saturday afternoon at Gary Hogan Field.
 
The Trojans (7-5) snapped a three-game skid by using eight hits and five walks to generate seven runs, never trailing and controlling a game that was never in doubt from start to finish. More than just hitting, Little Rock forced North Alabama (3-8) to match a season-high 12 runners left on base.
 
Lyons was consistently dangerous at the plate. He drew a walk, crushed his first career home run with a solo shot over the left field fence in the six inning with the dinger sandwiched in between a pair of singles, one of which was a perfectly laid bunt that caught the Lion defense off guard.
 
Eli Sievert (1-1) was credited with the win after allowing just one run on three hits in 4.2 innings, striking out three while walking five. Cole Evans (1) was steady over the final three innings to claim the save, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits while fanning five.
 
Jacob Laws (0-2) was charged with the loss after allowing four runs on four hits with three walks over four innings. He did initially keep Trojan batters off-balance, fanning seven. However, four of those seven came in the first two innings before Little Rock began to push its offense into full motion.
 
That moment came in the second inning when Dixon smacked a two-run shot over the left field fence to break the scoreless game open after Miguel Soto reached on a walk.
 
Kale Emshoff drew three walks (one intentional) in his four plate appearances and for good reason. In his one official at bat, Emshoff ripped a double to left and would score in the next at bat when Tucker Childers drove him in with an RBI single up the middle.
 
Little Rock led 3-1 in the fifth when the Trojans continued their hot hitting and took advantage of a North Alabama miscue to add three more runs. Loyns led off the frame with a bunt single. After a sacrifice bunt by Tyler Williams and Emshoff's intentional walk, Childers drove a single into right to send Lyons home. A strikeout later, Kobe Barnum faced two outs and two on when he drove a high fly ball to center, which was dropped by UNA's Reid Singewald. That error allowed two more runs to cross the plate.
 
Lyons's solo home run came in the sixth inning, marking the seventh and final score for the Trojans.
 
North Alabama cobbled together single runs in the seventh and ninth, but consistently were frustrated by stranding runners aboard. The Lions left multiple runners on base in four of the nine innings they were at the plate.
 
UNA was led by Ried Homan's 3-for-4 day with two runs scored while Harris Kain was 2-for-4. The two were responsible for five of UNA's seven hits.
 
The rubber game of the three-game series is set for Sunday, March 1. First pitch has been moved up to 11 a.m. at Gary Hogan Field in an effort to avoid inclement weather.
 
For the latest information on Little Rock Baseball, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockBSB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
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