FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A four-run first inning by second-ranked Arkansas put Little Rock in a hole it couldn't climb out of, falling to the Razorbacks 10-3 Wednesday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Little Rock and Arkansas were even on the scoreboard in hits with eight apiece, but four of the Razorbacks' hits were for extra bases (three home runs and a triple), while just one of the Trojans went beyond first.
The Trojans were led by a 2-for-3 day for
Nathan Lyons, who belted a home run in the seventh and drew a walk while making a handful of key defensive stops at third.
Kenny Rodriguez also was 2-for-3 on the day with four other players each registering a hit.
Arkansas used the long ball early on starter
Cole Evans, belting a three-run and solo home run in the bottom of the first inning, then added another solo home run in the fourth to build a 5-0 lead after four.
Once again, the fifth inning was favorable for Little Rock as the Trojans brought a pair across the plate. A leadoff walk for
Eldrige Figueroa, followed by a single for Lyons and a wild pitch gave Little Rock runners at second and third with no outs. Ground outs by
Jorden Hussein and
Tyler Williams were enough to bring the pair home, trimming the Arkansas lead to 5-2.
Two more Arkansas runs in the sixth extended the lead to 6-2, but the Trojans got one back in the top of seventh off a laser shot from Lyons that hit the left field foul pole, trimming the deficit to 7-3. It was Lyons' fourth home run of the season, doing so just down the road from his hometown of Bentonville.
Arkansas would add three more in the bottom of the eighth off a pair of Little Rock pitchers, bookending the game and upping the lead to 10-3 and the Trojans went down in order in the ninth to close out the game.
Evans was credited with the loss as he was the first of seven Trojan pitchers on the afternoon. The best performance came from
Luke Wallner who replaced Evans and went 3.0 innings, allowing just one run on two hits with a strikeout.
Calvin Hunt and
Erik McKnight both registered hitless appearances, each going at least one inning, as the Trojan staff combined for nine strikeouts on the day.
The loss extends the Trojans' skid to five-straight, dropping to 12-13 on the season. Arkansas now holds the 2-1 lead in the all-time series.
Little Rock's busy stretch to open the month of April continues this weekend when the Trojans return to Sun Belt play at Gary Hogan Field, welcoming South Alabama for a weekend series. Game one against the Jaguars is scheduled for Friday with a 6 p.m. first pitch.
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