TROY, Ala. – Little Rock's offense put together big innings in the first, sixth and ninth innings, anchored by seven extra base hits, as the Trojans never trail in a 10-6 win over Troy at Riddle-Pace Field Sunday afternoon. The win clinches the first Sun Belt series of the year for the Trojans as Little Rock improves to 13-12 on the season and 3-6 in league play.
All nine Little Rock batters registered at least one hit with three different Trojans notching a pair, led by
Canyon McWilliams who went 2-for-5 with a home run and a triple, driving in three runs.
Nathan Lyons and
Tyler Williams both had a pair of hits as well with Lyons scoring twice and Williams driving in a run with a double.
Jack Stroth continued to swing a hot bat, hitting a home run for the third time in two games, while
Miguel Soto went yard one batter later. In all, Little Rock finished with three doubles, a triple and three home runs, accounting for seven of its 12 hits on the day.
The Trojans jumped on top early, scoring three runs in the top of the first before registering an out.
Eldrige Figueroa and
Jorden Hussein both drew walks, followed by a double from
Noah Dickerson and a triple from McWilliams, giving Little Rock the 3-0 lead after four batters. But three-straight outs kept McWilliams stranded at third.
Troy would answer back with two runs in the third and another in the fourth, evening the game at 3-3 after four. Little Rock would break that tie with a four-run sixth inning, beginning with the leadoff home run from McWilliams to put the Trojans on top 4-3.
A double by Lyons was followed two pitches later by a double from Williams, scoring Lyons and upping the lead to-5-3. A walk to Stroth put two runners on as Williams scored off an RBI single from
Jake Wright, followed by an RBI single from Figueroa one batter later to extend the lead to 7-3. Little Rock could have done more damage, but the duo was stranded on second and third to end the inning.
That turned the task to the Trojan pitchers, who were up to the task.
Preston Davis, making his first career start, went 2.2 inning and allowed two runs on three hits, then handed the ball over to
Hoss Brewer who pitched the next 4.2 innings, at one point shutting down 11 of the 13 batters he faced.
Brewer was relieved in the eighth after allowing a run off a pair of hits, ending his day with three runs allowed on five hits with three strikeouts, earning his fourth win of the season. Another Troy run in the home half of the eighth pulled the Alabama Trojans to within two at 7-5.
But Little Rock added three insurance runs in the top of the ninth, beginning with the two-run home run from Stroth with one gone after a leadoff walk to Lyons. Two pitches later, Soto sent a solo shot over the left field wall, pushing the Little Rock led to a comfortable 10-5.
Troy tried to put together a rally in the bottom of the ninth as a pair of walks and a hit by pitch from
Joey Martin loaded the bases with no outs, bringing
Jacob Weatherley in to try and finish it off. Troy would get one back off an RBI ground out, but a strikeout and a fly out to Williams ended the game and gave the Trojans the road series win.
The victory at Troy puts Little Rock at 2-2 on its current five-game road trip, concluding Tuesday afternoon in Pine Bluff against UAPB. Opening pitch against the Golden Lions is set for 3 p.m. at the Torii Hunter Baseball Complex.
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