Trojans end road trip with win over ULM, host Memphis on Wednesday

MONROE, Louisiana — Preston Davis pitched his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning of Monday's non-conference matchup, earning the mound win for Little Rock, who took down Louisiana-Monroe 5-3 at Lou St. Amant Field to end a four-game road trip in the Bayou State.
 
Davis (1-0) tossed 3.2 innings of one-hit, shutout ball, but got into some trouble in the last frame as the bases filled with Warhawks with two outs. With the count full, he struck out Michelle Artzberger to end the game, helping Little Rock improve to 4-3 on the young season. Davis finished with seven strikeouts.
 
Cooper Chaplain, Ryan Geck and Jackson Rains each had two hits and scored a run in the game. Chaplain and Geck drove in a run apiece and both Geck and Rains hit doubles. Ty Rhoades and Jayce Blalock also drove in runs for the Trojans.
 
Malcolm Brown started the game on the hill and went three innings without allowing a run or hit and struck out three. Gage Haley went 2.1 innings in relief of Brown, allowing five hits and three runs while fanning four. Trojan pitchers totaled 14 strikeouts in all to just three walks.
 
Neither team could get anything going until the fourth, when Chaplain singled and stole second, then scored on a single to right by Rhoades. Geck scored on a balk to make it 2-0 and Rhoades would make it 3-0 when he scored on Blalock's single to left. The Trojans added another in the fifth when Chaplain singled into right, allowing Rains to cross home plate.
 
The Warhawks (4-3) did all its damage in the sixth, scoring three runs off four hits. But the Trojans added an insurance run in the seventh, courtesy of Geck's second hit of the day, bringing Alex Seguine home.
 
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Little Rock returns home Wednesday to host Memphis at 3 pm. The Tigers are 4-2 heading into a Tuesday night game at home against Alabama A&M. Tomorrow's game at Gary Hogan Field can be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
The Trojans are 14-42 all-time against Memphis, but do sport a 7-9 record at home versus the Tigers. Little Rock won the last meeting between the two schools, a 10-4 victory at home on Feb. 20, 2024. The Trojans pounded 16 hits, including five doubles, in that meeting.