MARION, Ill. – Little Rock's postseason push is still alive.
Behind a dominant start from Brody Bunting and another balanced offensive performance, the Trojans rolled past Southern Indiana 7-2 Friday night in an elimination game at the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament at Mountain Dew Park.
Little Rock improved to 33-26 overall and advanced to face No. 1 seed SIUE at 1 p.m. Saturday for the right to play Eastern Illinois later that afternoon in the championship round. If either Little Rock or SIUE defeats EIU on Saturday, a winner-take-all championship game would be played Sunday at a time to be determined. Little Rock fell 4-3 to SIUE in a winner's bracket game Wednesday night. The Cougars also took two of three games from the Trojans in Edwardsville last month.
Saturday's 1 p.m. game was originally scheduled for Friday at 4:30 p.m. However, with rain moving into the Marion area, OVC officials delayed the start of the Little Rock-Southern Indiana matchup multiple times before first pitch was finally pushed to 6:20 p.m.
"Rain delays can be tough because you don't know when you're going to go," Curry said. "You're doing BP inside and adjusting all day, but we've dealt with that all year and put them through those scenarios. They handled it well. This time of year, less is more in pregame preparation."
The Trojans wasted little time grabbing control. Kade Smith came around to score on a wild pitch in the first inning before Blake Simpson added an RBI groundout to make it 2-0.
Southern Indiana cut the deficit to 2-1 in the third, but Little Rock answered immediately. Simpson ripped an RBI double to left field and Nico Baumbach followed with an RBI single through the right side to push the lead to 4-1. The Screaming Eagles trimmed the margin to 4-2 on a solo homer from Parker Martin in the fourth inning, but Bunting kept USI from mounting anything further.
The senior right-hander from Sherwood turned in one of the best outings of his career, allowing just one earned run across eight innings while striking out six. Bunting scattered six hits and worked around multiple traffic situations to keep the Trojans firmly in control.
"My arm felt good, and I wanted to be out there as long as I could," Bunting said.
Curry said Bunting earned the opportunity through his mindset and preparation over the last several weeks.
"He came in my office about three weeks ago because he wasn't pitching as much as he wanted to," Curry said. "He said it the right way. He said, 'Coach, I just want you to know I'm ready when you need me.' I told him I didn't know when his moment would come, but to stay ready. This morning, Brody's name was the right name and we felt great about it."
The Trojans added another insurance run in the sixth when Baumbach scored on a passed ball to extend the advantage to 5-2.
Little Rock then broke things open in the eighth. Michael O'Brien and Baumbach both scored on a clutch two-run double down the left field line from Jerdy Lopez, stretching the lead to 7-2.
Baumbach once again delivered key at-bats in pressure moments, continuing a trend Curry said has defined the veteran all season.
"Nico's just been clutch," Curry said. "A couple of two-strike hits, and then Jerdy hits the ball down the line there late and that allowed us to get Brody out and go to Josh Beezley."
Beezley closed out the ninth inning to secure the victory.
Now the Trojans continue their path through the elimination bracket, embracing the grind that has become familiar during conference tournament play.
"Our team has a lot of confidence because we've done this before," said Bunting, who helped the Trojans win the OVC Tournament title last season. "We have so much depth and guys who can step up."
Not only was the win important in the tournament bracket, it also matched a significant milestone in program history. The victory gave Little Rock 33 wins for just the third time in school history, matching the 1990 and 2000 teams for the most wins in a season. The Trojans will attempt to break the record Saturday afternoon.
