Westmoreland Outduels Newell as Trojans Blank Lindenwood, 2-0

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – In a Friday night showdown between two of the Ohio Valley Conference's top arms, Little Rock rode its ace and played near-flawless baseball to secure a 2-0 shutout over Lindenwood at the Lou Brock Sports Complex. The game took just 1 hour, 52 minutes to complete.

The Trojans (26-17, 12-4 OVC) extended their winning streak to six games, continuing their climb atop the conference standings with a complete effort on the mound, at the plate and in the field. The win also snapped Lindenwood's eight-game winning streak.

It started with Brannon Westmoreland, who delivered another dominant outing. The right-hander tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing just six hits while striking out five and walking one.

"Friday night, you've got two aces going at it," Little Rock head coach Chris Curry said. "You had last year's Pitcher of the Year in Newell, who is really, really good. And then you've got a guy in Brannon Westmoreland who, if he's not in that conversation, he is now."

Westmoreland has elevated his game down the stretch, turning in two shutouts over his last three starts against top competition.

"Two of his last three starts have been shutouts against really good clubs," Curry said. "That tells you everything. He was outstanding again tonight."

Even after hitting the first batter he faced, Westmoreland quickly settled in and took control.

"We had a great game plan going into it, and it's about going out there and executing it," Westmoreland said. "When you do that over nine innings, you give yourself a chance to win."

With runs at a premium against Lindenwood starter Josh Newell, the Trojans capitalized when it mattered.

Little Rock broke through in the fifth inning as Cade Martin launched a solo home run to give the Trojans the lead. Martin continued to impact the game, adding a double later and finishing 2-for-3 while scoring both runs.

"It's definitely pretty cool to control the game behind the plate and then come through with the game-winning home run," Westmoreland said. "That's all we needed. If you play the game the right way, good things happen."

The Trojans manufactured an insurance run in the late innings with textbook execution. Martin's double set the table before Cooper Chaplain delivered a key at-bat to move him over. With the infield drawn in, Jerdy Lopez drove in the run with a backside sacrifice fly.

Little Rock totaled nine hits on the night, with Easton Roe adding a 2-for-3 performance, while Lopez, Angel Cano, Nolan Freund and Ty Rhoades each chipped in hits.
Defensively, the Trojans were just as sharp, committing no errors and backing Westmoreland with clean, efficient play.

"We had just one walk, no errors, and I thought Cade Martin behind the plate was outstanding," Curry said. "It was situational baseball to a T."

Lindenwood (22-19, 8-8 OVC) threatened at times but could not solve Westmoreland, who worked efficiently and never allowed the Lions to gain momentum.

"It's awesome to watch and even better to catch it," Martin said. "Just staying behind him, encouraging him and motivating him to keep going - he did his job tonight."

The two teams play again Saturday at 1 p.m. 

"We're playing good baseball right now, and we're excited to get back out here tomorrow and try to win the series."