SAN MARCOS, Texas – Little Rock was even with 17th-ranked Texas State early and had key opportunities to extend a lead, but couldn't get the key hits and watched the Bobcats pull away late for a 9-2 win to close out the weekend series.
The loss drops the Trojans to 16-19 on the season and 6-11 in Sun Belt play, extending Little Rock's winless streak to seven games.
Little Rock had a number of chances in the early going, putting a runner in scoring position in each of the first five innings. The Trojans had a key chance in the first, getting a pair of runners on with just one out and runners at the corners with two gone, but came up short in a theme that would define the afternoon.
After another chance came up empty in the second, Texas State took a 1-0 lead on a solo home run in the home half, but starter
Hoss Brewer responded with a pair of strikeouts to get out of the rest of the inning unscathed.
Little Rock got on the board in the third, beginning with leadoff single from
Eldrige Figueroa and a walk to
Tyler Williams with the duo advancing a base on a fly out.
Canyon McWilliams drove in Figueroa on an RBI ground out, evening the score at 1-1, and then Williams attempted to give the Trojans their first lead of the series by attempting to steal home, but the tag just beat him to end the inning at th plate.
The Trojans had another opportunity in the fourth, loading the bases with back-to-back singles from
Jake Wright and
Nathan Lyons with
Andrew Pickering getting on base by way of being hit by a pitch. But an inning-ending double play ended the Trojan threat, followed by the Bobcats reclaiming the lead at 2-1 in the home half of the fourth.
Little Rock again had a runner at second off a double from Williams in the fifth, advancing as far as third before being stranded there. Texas State then took control over the next three innings, scoring four in the fifth, one in the sixth and two in the seventh to build a 9-1 advantage.
The Trojans got one back in the eighth, beginning with a leadoff double for
Noah Dickerson, who was driven home off an RBI single from
Miguel Soto, cutting the deficit to 9-2. But that was as close as the Trojans could get, dropping all three games of the weekend series.
Eight different Little Rock batters scattered the eight hits on the day, led by doubles from Williams, Dickerson and
Jaxson Anderson. Figueroa, Soto, Wright, Lyons and
Jorden Hussein combined for the other five hits for Little Rock.
Brewer went 4.0 innings, earning the loss after allowing six runs (three earned) on four hits with a pair of strikeouts.
Sawyer Smallwood made his team-best 19th appearance, allowing one run on one hit with a strikeout in two innings.
Joey Martin and
Erik McKnight both went one inning as the Trojans limited Texas State to just eight hits with five strikeouts, but allowed six walks and six extra base hits.
Little Rock now returns home to begin a five-game home stand to close out the month of April. That stretch begins Wednesday when the Trojans welcome Louisiana Tech to Gary Hogan Field for the return trip of the home-and-home series with first pitch set for 6 p.m.
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