MARTIN, Tenn. - Little Rock turned frustration into fireworks Friday night.
Fueled by a focused response after Tuesday's loss, the Trojans erupted for 17 hits and a season-high nine home runs in a dominant 15-4 victory over UT Martin at Skyhawk Baseball Field to open a pivotal Ohio Valley Conference road series.
Little Rock blasted a school-record nine home runs Friday night and overwhelmed UT Martin 15-4 in eight innings, pounding out 17 hits in a statement road victory to open the critical weekend series. The nine blasts broke the previous record of eight that was set 20-8 win against South Dakota State in 2012.
"I haven't seen anything like that in a very long time," said senior second baseman Cooper Chaplain, who slammed two home runs driving in three runs. "We talked on the bus after the game about having a chip on our shoulder and being mad about wanting to win and that helping a lot. After Tuesday, being able to bounce back really boosted the confidence."
The Trojans improved to 29-21 overall and 15-7 in OVC play, staying firmly in the hunt near the top of the conference race while delivering one of their most explosive offensive performances of the season. Little Rock is now tied with Eastern Illinois for second in the OVC standings with SIUE a game ahead in first. SIUE beat EIU 3-2 Friday.
"Good response. Good to be 1-0 on the road," Little Rock head coach Chris Curry said. "I thought the hitters did a great job of listening to the adjustments that we made with them over the last two days. I thought we were a very inspired team, a very driven team tonight. I thought we were very serious and a very focused team."
Little Rock wasted no time setting the tone. Angel Cano slammed a first-inning home run, and the Trojans never looked back.
After UT Martin answered with single runs in the first and second innings, Little Rock erupted for six runs in the third to seize complete control. Cano launched a two-run homer, Nolan Freund crushed a three-run shot and the Trojans suddenly owned a 7-2 advantage.
Curry said Cano's early swing helped ignite the entire lineup.
"At this time of year, your stars have got to be stars, and Angel Cano, he's one of our stars," Curry said. "Angel hits a home run there in the first inning, and I think offensively, the way it's been going, somebody needed to see someone else do it to know that they could do it."
The power surge only intensified from there.
Cano finished with two home runs and three RBI, continuing his torrid stretch at the plate. Freund also homered twice and drove in four runs. Blake Simpson turned in a huge night in the middle of the lineup, going 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBI. Ty Rhoades went 3-for-4 with a home run, while Nico Baumbach added another blast as nearly the entire lineup joined the hit parade.
In all, seven different Trojans recorded multiple hits.
"It feels very good," Chaplain said of his performance. "It definitely helps confidence and makes you realize you can do it and help the team. Being able to rely on that and realize a lot of things good players do is showing up day after day. I'm glad tonight happened, but at the end of the day we've got to move on for tomorrow."
The Trojans broke the game open again in the sixth inning when Freund and Simpson delivered back-to-back home runs during a four-run frame that pushed the lead to 11-3. Little Rock added another run in the seventh before Chaplain's second homer of the night highlighted a three-run eighth inning.
While the offense stole the spotlight, the Trojans also got key work on the mound.
Brannon Westmoreland struck out seven over 4.2 innings before Josh Beezley provided valuable relief, allowing just one run over the final 3.1 innings while striking out four to earn the win.
"Don't forget, in a tough place to pitch, Westmoreland got into the fifth and then Beezley was outstanding just showing it in the strike zone," Curry said. "I thought Trey caught a good game, and we were good on defense again."
UT Martin collected 12 hits but never mounted a serious comeback as Little Rock repeatedly answered every threat with another offensive explosion.
The Trojans finished with 15 runs on 17 hits while striking nine home runs — one of the most dominant offensive displays of the season.
The two teams meet again Saturday at 3 p.m.
