HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Little Rock is one win away from a Super Regional.
The Trojans continued their remarkable postseason run Saturday night, defeating Jacksonville State 8-6 before 5,331 fans at Pete Taylor Park to advance to the championship round of the NCAA Hattiesburg Regional.
Little Rock improved to 38-26 overall and advanced to Sunday's Regional Final at 8 p.m. The Trojans will face the winner of Sunday's 3 p.m. elimination game between No. 2 seed Virginia and No. 3 seed Jacksonville State. Little Rock will need just one victory to capture the regional championship, while its opponent must beat the Trojans twice. Jacksonville State beat Virginia 15-7 Friday in the openig round of the Regional.
The appearance marks Little Rock's second consecutive trip to a Regional Final and the first time in program history the Trojans have reached the championship round through the winner's bracket.
Little Rock's postseason surge has become one of the most remarkable runs in program history. The Trojans entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 4 seed in the Hattiesburg Regional after winning six games in five days to capture a second straight Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship. Since arriving in Hattiesburg, Little Rock has added victories over No. 1 regional seed Southern Miss and No. 3 seed Jacksonville State to move within one win of a Super Regional berth.
"I was thinking about it in my room today," Little Rock head coach Chris Curry said. "A gentleman that I highly respect walked into my office on day two and said, 'What are you doing? Why did you take this job? This program can't win. You can't get players here.' I said, 'Because I believe.' I believe baseball can be played the right way anywhere if you run a program the right way and get tough guys like this."
The Trojans secured their spot in the title game by answering every Jacksonville State challenge down the stretch.
After the Gamecocks cut the lead to 6-5 in the seventh inning, Little Rock responded immediately in the eighth. Nolan Freund drove in a run with a ground out before Nico Baumbach delivered a two-out RBI double to right-center, extending the lead to 8-5.
The insurance proved critical as Jacksonville State scored once in the bottom of the eighth and brought the tying run to the plate in both the eighth and ninth innings.
Freshman closer Tag Andrews entered with runners aboard in the eighth and once again delivered in a pressure-packed situation. Andrews recorded the final five outs, allowing no hits and striking out one to earn his 13th save of the season.
"He's just a warm blanket," Curry said of Andrews. "It's no secret who the ball is going to in the big moment. I think our only job is to decide when that moment is. We're trying to shorten the game."
Just 24 hours after stunning No. 1 regional seed Southern Miss, the Trojans once again showcased their offensive firepower, collecting 14 hits and scoring eight runs against a Jacksonville State club that had scored 15 runs in its regional opener.
Little Rock wasted little time taking control.
Jerdy Lopez was hit by a pitch to begin the game and Kade Smith followed with a single before Freund delivered an RBI hit to put the Trojans on the board. Baumbach added an RBI single and Ty Rhoades brought home another run with a ground out as Little Rock raced to a 3-0 lead in the first inning.
The Gamecocks answered with two runs in the second and another in the fourth to trim the deficit to 4-3, but Little Rock never surrendered the lead.
Freund continued his postseason surge with an RBI double in the second inning, while Blake Simpson provided a key cushion in the sixth. Simpson tripled home a run and later scored in the inning as the Trojans stretched the lead to 6-3.
"I played in some big games at [Cloud County Junior College], but I haven't played on a stage like this," Freund said. "It's been a lot of fun. The past couple weeks, we've been in positions where we have had nothing to lose. We are just playing pretty free."
Jacksonville State cut the deficit to one run in the seventh before Little Rock answered with two runs in the eighth.
The Trojans used four pitchers in the victory. Brigden Parker got the start before Little Rock pieced together the final six innings with a bullpen effort that kept Jacksonville State from ever drawing even.
Offensively, Simpson and Freund led the way with three hits apiece. Simpson finished 3-for-5 with a triple, two RBI and a run scored, while Freund went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored.
Baumbach drove in a game-high three runs and delivered perhaps the biggest hit of the night with his eighth-inning RBI double.
Earlier this season, Curry challenged several of his veteran players to elevate their play down the stretch.
"I called some of those seniors in about three or four weeks ago," Curry said. "I told them, 'We need you. You're our guys. We're going to live or die with you. We believe you can do it, so relax and play.'"
Smith collected two hits and scored twice, and seven different Trojans recorded hits as Little Rock improved to 8-1 in postseason play dating back to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
The victory was Little Rock's eighth in its last nine postseason games and further cemented a run that has seen the Trojans win back-to-back OVC Tournament championships, earn consecutive NCAA Regional appearances for the first time in school history and now advance to consecutive Regional Finals.
Now, Little Rock stands one win away from the first NCAA Regional championship and Super Regional berth in program history. The Trojans will await the winner of Sunday's elimination game between Virginia and Jacksonville State before taking the field at 8 p.m. with a chance to make history.
