LITTLE ROCK – Timely hitting and solid pitching helped Little Rock take the 5-1 victory over UT Arlington Friday afternoon at Gary Hogan Field. The Trojans win their third-straight, improving to 14-12 on the year and 4-6 in Sun Belt play.
Little Rock had just eight hits against the Mavericks, but they made them count as four of them drove in runs. But the Trojans struggled to find their rhythm early against Maverick pitching as six Little Rock batters struck out the first time through the order.
That started to change in the third as back-to-back singles from
Jake Wright and
Eldrige Figueroa put two on with one gone in the inning. A seventh strikeout had Little Rock down to one out, but the timely hitting came through as back-to-back singles from
Noah Dickerson and
Canyon McWilliams brought Wright and Figueroa home, putting the Trojans on top 2-0.
That would prove to be more than enough run support for starter
Hayden Arnold, who retired eight-straight Mavericks from the third through sixth innings. UTA would use back-to-back doubles in the sixth to trim the lead in half at 2-1, but other than getting runners at the corners in the third would be the only time the Mavericks would threaten in the game.
Little Rock answered the Maverick score with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh, getting two on courtesy of a single and stolen base from
Tyler Williams and
Miguel Soto being hit by a pitch. Wright doubled down the left field line to score Soto, then an intentional walk to Figueroa loaded to bases as the Mavericks tried for the inning-ending double play. But a four-pitch walk to
Jorden Hussein brought Soto home from third, upping the lead to 4-1.
McWilliams then added an insurance run in the eighth inning, sending a solo home run well beyond the tree line in right field, pushing the lead to 5-1.
That would be plenty for reliever for
Sawyer Smallwood, who pitched the final two innings and struck out the side in the ninth to pick up his third save of the season. Arnold earned the win, the 18th of his Trojan career, with another quality start, going 7.0 innings and allowing one run on seven hits with five strikeouts, throwing 108 total pitches.
McWilliams, Figueroa and Wright each had a pair of hits on the day for the Trojans with McWilliams driving in a pair. Hussein, Dickerson and Wright had the other RBI on the afternoon for Little Rock.
Game two of the series is set for 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon at Gary Hogan Field as
Erik McKnight is scheduled to get the start for Little Rock. The game will not be streamed on ESPN+, but live stats will be available at TrojanStats.com with live updates available on Twitter
@LittleRockBSB.
#LittleRocksTeam
