LAFAYETTE, La. – Little Rock held a 4-1 lead in the fifth and had a 4-3 advantage heading into the bottom of the eighth, but a seven-run eighth for Louisiana turned the tide in a 10-4 Ragin' Cajun victory Friday night at Tigue Moore Field. The win evens the weekend series between the two and snaps the Trojans' two-game winning streak.
Little Rock got on the board in the top of the first behind a one-out double from
Tyler Williams, who would score off an error on a
Canyon McWilliams fly ball to center to push the lead to 1-0. The Trojans would load the bases off a
Noah Dickerson walk, a
Nathan Lyons single and
Eldrige Figueroa hit by pitch, advancing the runners 90 feet off a bases-loaded balk to give the Trojans the early 2-0 lead.
Louisiana would answer with one in the bottom of the first before a pitching dual commenced as starter
Hoss Brewer retired eight-straight Cajuns, getting out of a jam in the fourth with runners at second and third with nobody out. Brewer induced a ground out and a foul out before loading the bases with a walk before ending the threat with a strikeout.
Little Rock added to its lead in the fifth as Williams once again knocked a one-out double and this time was driven home by a two RBI home run from Dickerson, his team-best 11th of the year, to push the Trojan lead to 4-1.
Louisiana responded in the home half of the fifth, getting a pair of runs across as
Sawyer Smallwood took to the mound in relief of Brewer. But Smallwood found his groove in the sixth and seventh innings, retiring seven-straight Cajuns to take the 4-3 Trojan lead into the eighth.
But another big inning proved costly for the Trojans as Louisiana scored seven in the bottom of the eighth, including a two-out grand slam to flip the script and put the Ragin' Cajuns in command at 10-4 before cruising to the victory.
Williams led the Trojans at the plate offensively with the pair of doubles and two runs scored with Dickerson adding the two-RBI home run. Those were the lone extra base hits of the day for the Trojans as five other Little Rock batters scattered the remaining hits.
Brewer took the no decision after going 4.1 innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits with a pair of strikeouts. Smallwood was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs on five hits in three innings, including the go-ahead run in the eighth.
Jacob Weatherley pitched 0.2 innings, allowing a pair of runs on three hits as the trio each had a pair of strikeouts.
Little Rock's regular season Sun Belt finale is set for Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. in the final game of the weekend series against Louisiana.
Michael Quevedo will get the start on the mound as the Trojans look to close out its time as a league member with a series victory.
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