Offensive Firepower Leads Trojans Over Valpo in Series Finale

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Trojans got off to a hot start Sunday afternoon, going up 15-0 after four innings and scored in every frame en route to an 18-8 victory over Valparaiso. The win puts Little Rock back over the .500 mark on the year, improving to 5-4.
 
Hoss Brewer made his first start of the 2023 season today and after a shaky start was able to escape the first inning with back-to-back punchouts with two runners in scoring position.
 
The Trojans first five batters would reach base in the bottom of the first and all nine would come to the plate in the inning. Hitters took turns spraying hits all over the field and put constant pressure on the defense, by the time Valpo had recorded the third out Little Rock had struck for five runs on five hits.
 
Hoss would make quick work of the eager Beacon batters in the top of the second, getting a groundout and two fly ball outs on just four pitches to get the Trojans back in the dugout looking to add on to the early lead.
 
Having already chased the Valpo starter after the first inning, the Trojans began to do damage to the bullpen of the opposition. After a one-out single from Tyler Williams and a stolen base, Noah Brewer knocked a double into the left-center field gap scoring the Trojans center fielder. A single from Skyler Trevino in the next at bat scored Noah from second and put Little Rock up seven runs.
 
The top of the third started with a walk to the Beacons leadoff batter, but a strikeout and double play ended the inning and kept Valpo out of the hit column through three.
 
Little Rock would strike for its biggest inning of the game in the bottom of the third, again sending all nine batters to the plate for the second time in three innings. A single from Ty Rhoades to begin followed with a double from Ben Harmon got one run in for the Trojans. Luke Pectol would also double a batter later to bring Harmon home. Two infield singles by Williams and Noah, and a hit by pitch of Trevino would load the bases as Jake Wright stepped up to the dish. After a mound visit from the Valparaiso pitching coach, Wright took the first pitch of the at bat and sent it over the left field fence for second Little Rock grand slam of the season. This homerun put the Trojans up 14-0, making the rest of the game essentially a formality.
 
Scott McDonough entered the game on the mound in the top of the fourth and pitched a 1-2-3 inning which included two strikeouts looking and a groundout in between.
 
The Trojans added another run in the bottom half of the frame courtesy of a double from Alex Seguine and a single up the middle by Williams which began a trend of one-run offensive innings for Little Rock that would continue throughout the game.
 
A three-run top of the fifth put a small dent in the Trojan lead, but the Maroon and Silver was able to get one run back in the next half with a single from Aidan Garrett and Luke Dickerson followed by a double from Andrew Pickering to bring home Garrett.
 
Valpo again struck for three runs in the top of the sixth with a homerun that brought in all of the runs in the inning, drawing the game closer. But Little Rock minimized the effort from Valpo by scoring a run of its own in the bottom of the sixth. Graydon Martin began the offensive effort with an infield single and got to second on a groundout from Williams. Martin then showed exceptional effort by scoring from second on a groundout to short, forcing a throw from first to third before scrambling home for the run.
 
The Beacons hit another homerun in the top of the seventh, a two-run blast which cut the Trojan lead to nine. Needing a score to end the game via run-rule in the bottom of the seventh, the Trojan batters came up to the plate prepared. A single from Garrett, walk by Dickerson, and single from Pickering ended the competition as Garrett crossed home plate.
 
Hoss Brewer made his first start of the season after starting 10 games for Little Rock in 2022. The junior right-hander pitched three innings and did not allow a Valparaiso hit while striking out three batters along the way.
 
Williams led the Trojans in hits today with his 4-for-5 performance, all being singles. The senior from Lilburn, Georgia also scored three times, knocked in two runs, and stole a base.
 
Wright only had one hit in the game, going 1-for-3, but made it count as he drove in four runs with his grand slam in the third.
 
Noah Brewer did not get out when he stepped up to the plate this afternoon, going 3-for-3 while also scoring three times and driving in one.
 
Dickerson and Martin both made their Little Rock debuts in today's game, and each collected a hit in their first Division I at bats.
 
Six Trojans had multi-hit performances in the offensive outburst, Little Rock reached base with a hit 22 times in the seven inning game. In addition, seven Trojans hit one double each.
 
Little Rock will return to action on Tuesday when Central Arkansas visits Gary Hogan field for the first of three I-40 Showdown's of the season.
 
For the latest information on Little Rock Baseball, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockBSB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
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