LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – This one turned into a track meet — and Little Rock made sure it crossed the finish line first.
The Trojans erupted for 16 hits and answered every UTRGV surge with one of their own, rolling to a 15-10 win Wednesday afternoon at Gary Hogan Field to complete the midweek sweep.
"This was a great homestand — a sweep that started with three conference games over the weekend and a midweek over a really good program in UTRGV," Little Rock head coach Chris Curry said. "They have a good lineup and ran some arms out there today with really good stuff."
After falling behind 7-2 in the second inning, Little Rock (25-17) flipped the game in a hurry, plating six runs in the third to take control for good.
UTRGV (18-23) came out swinging, getting an RBI triple from Thomas Williams in the first before erupting for six runs in the second — five of them unearned — to build a 7-2 lead.
Little Rock didn't blink.
The Trojans chipped away in the second, then delivered the decisive blow in the third. Nolan Freund started it with an RBI single, Ty Rhoades followed with a run-scoring hit, and Ryan Geck ripped a double down the line to keep the rally rolling.
Cooper Chaplain tied it with a bases-loaded walk, and Jerdy Lopez delivered the knockout punch — a two-run single to give Little Rock a 9-7 lead.
"I've been working on making solid contact and was looking for that outside pitch so I didn't roll it over," Lopez said.
From there, it was all about adding on.
The Trojans pushed across three more in the fifth, capitalizing on productive outs and a balk, then tacked on two more in the seventh and another in the eighth to maintain separation.
Lopez led the offensive barrage, going 5-for-6 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Rhoades added three hits, while Freund and Geck each drove in multiple runs. Trey Hill scored three times, and eight different Trojans recorded a hit.
Hill made the most of his opportunity behind the plate as part of a deep catching rotation.
"I think it's one of the most talented catching groups we've had here," Hill said. "We all believe in each other. We're competing for time, but we're also supporting each other because at any moment, you've got to be ready to go."
On the mound, Luke Schimmels (3-0) stabilized things after the rocky start, striking out four over 1.2 scoreless innings to earn the win. Josh Beezley and Blake Van Cleeve combined for three shutout innings late to close it out.
UTRGV finished with 14 hits and seven walks, with Williams collecting three hits and three RBIs, but couldn't slow Little Rock's relentless offense.
The Trojans have now scored 20 runs over the past two games — and, more importantly, found ways to win both.
Little Rock returns to Ohio Valley Conference play this weekend at Lindenwood, beginning with a 5 p.m. first pitch Friday.
"We've got to get back to work and be ready for the road," Curry said. "Runs can be tough to come by in that park, and we've got a few things to clean up."
