Trojans Walk-off Skyhawks in Series Opener

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – With runners on first and third and one out in the bottom of the ninth, sophomore Nico Baumbach sent a hard line drive through a vacated right side of the infield to bring home Alex Seguine and earn a walkoff victory for Little Rock. The win improves the Trojans record to 15-11 on the season and a 4-3 record in Ohio Valley Conference play.
 
It was UT Martin who took the early lead in today's game with a solo homerun off the bat of Jack Culumovic in the top of the second inning to go up 1-0. The Skyhawks would later add on with a two out RBI single in the fifth, increasing the lead to two.
 
Little Rock was finally able to break through, after being denied several scoring chances early, in the bottom of the fifth inning when Baumbach doubled down the left field line to bring home Seguine with two outs to cut the lead to one yet again.
 
Jacob Weatherley entered the game in the top of the sixth after a leadoff walk and struck out two Skyhawks batters to keep the momentum in the Little Rock dugout. The Trojans took advantage in the very next at bat when Luke Pectol hit his third homerun of the year to tie the game up at two. Seguine would give Little Rock the lead later in the inning, scoring Andrew Pickering on a single up the middle for the Trojans first lead of the game.
 
Weatherley and UT Martin pitcher Tristan Walton then took turns thwarting scoring chances from each offense until the top of the ninth when the Skyhawks tied the game up on a leadoff homer, later taking the lead on a single to center field.
 
The Trojans entered the ninth needing to score a run to keep the game going and senior Jake Wright answered the call almost immediately with a shot that just tucked inside the foul pole down the left field line to tie things up. Singles from Seguine and Ben Harmon then put runners on first and third with just one out as Baumbach stepped up to the plate. Harmon was off running to steal second on the 1-2 pitch, causing the second baseman to cover the bag and opening up a large hole on the right side. Baumbach took advantage as his batted ball fell safely on the grass and Seguine trotted home for the walkoff victory.
 
Little Rock starter Jackson Wells was solid in his start on just five days' rest, giving the Trojans the chance to come back later in the game. Wells pitched five full innings despite having a pitch count of over 50 after the first two. He struck out six batters and allowed just five hits while giving up two runs.
 
Weatherley served in a critical role out of the bullpen, pitching three shutout innings and striking out four while giving up just two hits in the latter half of the game.
 
Baumbach led the Trojans with two RBI on the night including the game winner in a 2-for-5 performance, lacing a double in the fifth and single in the ninth.
 
Seguine scored two of Little Rock's five runs, going 2-for-4 and reaching on a hit by pitch, he also picked up an RBI.
 
Chance Vaught earned the win, pitching the final two outs of the ninth inning after UT Martin had taken the lead, he left runners on second and third with a strikeout to end the threat of further damage.
 
Pectol and Wright each hit their third homeruns of the season for their sole hits of the day. Pectol tied the game up at two in the sixth with a laser that snuck over the right field wall. Wright's homer tied the game at four in the ninth, a high flyball where distance was not the factor but whether it would stay fair, sneaking past the foul pole and into the night.
 
The Trojans and Skyhawks will resume their series with game two tomorrow April 7 at 4 p.m. Noah Burkey is slated to get the start for Little Rock on the hill.
 
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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