BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — After watching Samford celebrate a walk-off win in Friday's series opener, Little Rock made sure there would be no repeat Saturday.
Ty Rhoades and
Nico Baumbach hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning, and
Brigden Parker earned his first win of the season as the Trojans evened the series with a 5-1 victory at J.L. Griffin Field.
"What a great response by these guys today," head coach
Chris Curry said. "I just felt like we were tougher and wanted it more. Our pitchers were dominant again today. I love the way we flipped the momentum in the series, and I'm excited to see these guys come out again tomorrow. We're really looking forward to it."
Parker (1-2) injured his ankle during the game but shook it off to complete six innings of one-run ball. He allowed just four hits while striking out four. In his first appearance in nearly a month,
Tag Andrews tossed three scoreless innings to earn the save as the duo combined to allow just five hits.
Rhoades,
Easton Roe, and
Angel Cano each recorded two hits for the Trojans (9-9), with Rhoades also drawing a walk to reach base three times.
Kade Smith led off the game with a double and later scored the first run on an RBI groundout by Roe. The 1-0 lead held until the sixth inning when Rhoades launched a three-run homer to right field. Baumbach followed immediately with a solo shot to left.
Baumbach's home run was the 24th of his Little Rock career, leaving him six shy of tying the program's all-time record of 30.
Samford (7-10) scored its lone run in the bottom of the sixth, but Andrews closed the door from there to secure the win.
Game three of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
