SAN MARCOS, Texas – Freshman
Andrew Pickering hit his first career home run – a three-run blast in the eighth – but little else went right for Little Rock as the Trojans fell to 17th-ranked Texas State 30-4 Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Ballpark.
The tone was set in the first inning as the Trojans were one strike away from getting out of a first inning jam on three separate occasions, but the Bobcats responded with a pair of three-run home runs, building a 6-0 lead after one.
That sparked the Texas State offense as the Bobcats would score add at least one run in each of the next seven innings, scoring four or more runs in four of them to build a 30-0 lead after seven. Pickering got the Trojans on the board in the eighth, coming through with two outs to bring home
Noah Burgarello and
Aidan Garrett to cut the deficit to 30-3.
Little Rock added another in the ninth, loading the bases off a walk from
Christian Bernabe, a single from
Jaxson Anderson and Garrett being hit by a pitch. Burgarello grounded into a double play, but was able to drive in Bernabe to cut the lead to 30-4. But the deficit was too great as the Trojans dropped the series to Texas State for the first time in program history.
The Trojans finished with nine hits on the afternoon, six of them coming in the eighth and ninth innings. Pickering, Anderson and
Noah Dickerson each had a pair of hits with each having one for extra bases. Pickering had the three-run home run while Dickerson added his team-best 14th double and Anderson added a double of his own in the eighth.
Little Rock utilized eight pitchers on the afternoon as starter
Jacob Weatherley was tagged with the loss after pitching the first two innings. Each Trojan pitcher allowed at least two runs until Garrett DeHass came in and retired the side in the eighth, inducing three fly outs.
The Trojans will look to salvage the final game of the series tomorrow afternoon, getting underway at 1 p.m. Little Rock will make a decision on a starting pitcher either later tonight or tomorrow morning.
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