MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Little Rock Trojans blasted six home runs and scored in each of the first seven innings Tuesday night, then held off a late surge from the Memphis Tigers to secure a wild 12-11 victory at FedEx Park.
Angel Cano and
Cade Martin each launched two solo home runs,
Kade Smith connected for his first homer as a Trojan, and
Cooper Chaplain delivered the biggest swing of the night — a three-run shot to left that pushed Little Rock ahead by five late in the contest.
Josh Beezley recorded the final four outs to earn the save.
"For our fourth game of the year, that felt like a championship bout. We put guys in tough situations to see what they're made of. I love how we answered and fought back," head coach
Chris Curry said. "The things we learned tonight are priceless. That's a really tough Memphis team, I have a lot of respect for them. This is a great win for Little Rock Baseball."
With a 15 mph wind blowing out, the two clubs combined for 10 home runs, but the Trojans (3-1) delivered the decisive blow. Chaplain's three-run homer in the seventh inning extended the lead to 12-7.
Memphis (2-2) answered with two runs in the seventh and two more in the ninth to make things interesting. Beezley entered with two outs in the eighth and, after allowing a two-out single in the ninth, induced a game-ending infield pop-up to slam the door.
All nine Little Rock starters recorded at least one hit, paced by Cano's three-hit performance. He opened the scoring with a 390-foot blast in the first inning. Smith, Martin and
Jerdy Lopez each added two hits, while Chaplain drove in four runs.
The Trojans used five pitchers in the contest.
Malcolm Brown started and worked two innings, and
Luke Schimmels earned the win in relief.
Little Rock and Memphis will meet again next Tuesday at Gary Hogan Field.
The Trojans return home this weekend for a three-game series against West Georgia. The Wolves are 1-4 following a Tuesday night loss to Kennesaw State. The series opener is set for Friday at 3 p.m. at Gary Hogan Field.
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