TROY, Ala. – Jack Stroth homered twice, sparking a late inning rally for Little Rock, and the Trojan bullpen kept Troy at bay as Little Rock rallies for the 4-3 win Saturday afternoon at Riddle-Pace Field. The win snaps a four-game skid for the Trojans, who improve to 12-12 on the year and 2-6 in Sun Belt play.
Little Rock found itself down 3-0 after four innings, then chipped away at the lead, thanks in part to home runs in back-to-back at-bats for Stroth, becoming the first Trojan to homer multiple times in a game since Kale Emshoff at Nicholls in 2020.
Nathan Lyons delivered the game-winning two-RBI single in the eighth as Little Rock improves to 3-1 in one-run games in 2022.
Offense was hard to come by in the early going for both teams, although Troy took a very early advantage, taking the first it saw in the bottom of the first over the wall in left field to take the early 1-0 lead. Troy would add solo runs in the third and fourth innings, building a 3-0 lead after four.
Little Rock got a pair of singles in the first inning from
Jorden Hussein and
Canyon McWilliams, but didn't get its next hit until
Jack Stroth's solo home run in the top of the fifth inning, sending a shot 395 feet over the left center field wall to trim the deficit to 3-1.
The Trojans had a tough situation in the bottom of the fifth as a leadoff triple for Troy, followed by back-to-back walks loaded the bases with nobody out, ending starter
Erik McKnight's day. Alabama native
Chance Vaught came on to pitch and did his job, getting a strikeout, then inducing Little Rock's 21st double play of the season to get Little Rock out of the jam and keep the score at 3-1.
Vaught had another solid inning in the sixth and Little Rock cut into the lead in the seventh as Stroth belted his second home run of the day, putting it into nearly the same spot beyond the left center field wall to trim Troy's lead to 3-2.
Eldrige Figueroa led off the eighth with a near-double, but a great defensive effort by the Troy right fielder robbed him of the extra base hit. But the Trojans responded with a one-out single by Hussein and a two-out single from McWilliams, putting two on for
Nathan Lyons who drove them both home with a two-RBI single, giving Little Rock its first lead of the day at 4-3.
Vaught was relieved by
Sawyer Smallwood in the eighth and the duo combined to shut down Troy over the final five innings, allowing a combined no hits with four strikeouts and just one walk to preserve the road win for Little Rock. Vaught earned the win in his Alabama homecoming with Smallwood getting a bit of redemption from the night before, earning the two-inning save.
Only four Trojans had hits on the day, but they made them count. McWilliams was 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and the game-winning run while Hussein and Stroth each had two hits, highlighted by the two-homer day by Stroth. Lyons went 1-for-4 but his hit was a big one with the two-RBI single in the eighth.
McKnight went 4.0 innings for Little Rock, allowing three runs on five hits with a strikeout, earning the no decision. Vaught's win improves his record to 2-3 on the year while Smallwood picked up his second save.
The win is the first for Little Rock away from Gary Hogan Field this season and the first away from home since the 7-3 win at Georgia State on May 20, 2021, ending a 10-game skid.
The rubber match of the three game series is set for 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon at Riddle-Pace Field.
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