LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Little Rock delivered a statement response Saturday afternoon, erupting for 11 unanswered runs to rally past Eastern Illinois, 11-7, at Gary Hogan Field and secure a key Ohio Valley Conference series.
After falling into an early five-run hole, the Trojans (22-17, 10-4 OVC) flipped the game with relentless offense and timely execution, turning a deficit into a decisive victory over Eastern Illinois (21-13, 10-4 OVC).
Eastern Illinois jumped out quickly, plating five runs in the first inning on four RBI singles to take early command. But Little Rock never wavered, settling in and methodically chipping away.
"A great job today to win the series," head coach Chris Curry said. "Eastern Illinois is a tough team that we faced in the OVC Championship game last season, and it wouldn't surprise me if that happened again. We got down five runs in the first inning, and that wasn't the plan, but we never panicked. We kept hitting and got back in the game."
The Trojans got on the board in the third when Angel Cano delivered an RBI single and Blake Simpson followed with a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 5-2. That momentum carried into a pivotal fourth inning.
Jerdy Lopez sparked the rally with an RBI double, and Kade Smith delivered the biggest swing of the inning with a two-run single to tie the game at 5-5. Nolan Freund followed with an RBI single, capping a four-run frame and giving Little Rock its first lead at 6-5.
The Trojans broke it open in the fifth.
Taking advantage of Panther miscues, Little Rock scored five more runs in the inning. Cooper Chaplain drove in a run while reaching on an error, Lopez added another on a throwing miscue, and Smith stayed hot with another RBI single. Simpson added his second sacrifice fly of the day, and Freund capped the surge with an RBI single to push the lead to 11-5.
"Hitting is all confidence, and it is contagious," Smith said. "Everyone started hitting, and we are going up to the plate carefree and confident."
Little Rock finished with 18 hits, showcasing a balanced and aggressive offensive attack. Smith led the way with three hits and three RBI, while Freund added three hits and two RBI. Ty Rhoades set the tone at the bottom of the lineup with four hits and two runs scored, and Lopez crossed the plate three times.
The comeback was even more impressive considering it came against Eastern Illinois ace Bryce Riggs, who entered the game at 6-0 and ranked among the nation's leaders in multiple categories.
Riggs allowed nine hits and just three strikeouts while issuing two walks, as the Trojans consistently forced long at-bats and avoided easy outs.
"We talk about how to beat an ace—you don't have to beat him, you just can't let him stay in the game long enough to beat you," assistant coach Matt Parker said. "If you can't get hits early, just grind out at-bats. How many foul balls can we get with two strikes? No easy innings or at-bats. He had only walked 17 all year, and we got two walks and nine hits. That is huge.
"We also talked about not trying to hit a five-run home run when we got down early. We stayed with our approach and grinded it out."
On the mound, the Trojans showed resilience after the early damage. Brigden Parker battled through the first inning before settling in, and Luke Schimmels (2-0) earned the win with two key innings in relief. Brayden Walls and Josh Beezley combined to close it out, limiting Eastern Illinois to just two runs over the final five innings.
Eastern Illinois added a run in the sixth and a solo home run in the eighth, but the Trojans' middle-inning explosion proved more than enough.
With the win, Little Rock moves into a tie for second place in the OVC standings with Eastern Illinois, one game behind SIUE.
The Trojans and Panthers wrap up the series Sunday at 1 p.m. at Gary Hogan Field.
