Trojans suffer first home loss in series opener against Murray State

For the second time in three nights, Little Rock had a chance to walk-off with a win at Gary Hogan Field. On Wednesday night, Ryan Geck did just that with a game-winning hit against Memphis. The Trojans had Geck in the same situation Friday night in the opener of a three-game weekend series against Murray State, but were unable to deliver the big hit, falling 9-8 to the Racers. Game 2 of the series starts with a 2:05 pm first pitch and can be streamed on ESPN+.
 

"I'm proud of our fight … we did the same thing we did Monday and Wednesday night, but the thing is you just can't live like that, especially against a club like Murray State. There's no question in my mind that these guys will fight every game. I'd love for Ryan Geck to be up at the plate in that situation again and he will again. We're still inside 10 games here, and this is a great series for us to play this early in the year." — Little Rock head coach Chris Curry

 
Little Rock (5-4) fell behind early again as the Racers (5-0) hung a four-spot on the board in the top half of the opening stanza. The Trojans almost matched that in the bottom half with three runs as Cooper Chaplain singled to drive in runs and Angel Cano – making his first appearance of the season – brought in the third when he reached on an error.
 
The Racers would go up 6-3 in the fourth before Little Rock tied it up in the fifth as Jayce Blalock, Cano, and Ryan Willbanks drew walks – Blalock would score on Willbanks' free pass – and Zach Henry singled home a pair of runs. In the sixth, Blalock delivered the lead with a two-run shot that towered over the fence in left-center for an 8-6 advantage.
 
The Racers took advantage of two hits, three walks, and a Trojan error to plate three runs and take the lead back for good. In the bottom of the ninth, Willbanks singled with one out and Henry walked before Alex Seguine flied out for the second out. Chaplain walked to load the bags for Geck, who hit into a fielder's choice for the final out. It is the first home loss for the Trojans this season.
 
Little Rock drew a dozen walks on the evening, but was outhit by a 12-7 margin. Willbanks (3), Henry (2), Blalock (2) and Cano (2) each walked multiple times. Jackson Wells battled through a tough first inning to go four innings, striking out nine while allowing nine hits, six runs (three earned) and two walks. Gage Haley tossed three strong innings in relief, while Preston Davis and Josh Beezley combined for the final two innings. Trojan pitchers totaled 13 strikeouts to just five walks.