MARTIN, Tenn. – Little Rock erased an early deficit and carried momentum into the late innings Saturday afternoon, but UT Martin answered in the bottom of the eighth to hand the Trojans a 6-5 setback at Skyhawk Field.

Despite the loss, Little Rock showed resilience throughout, battling back from a 1-0 deficit with a three-run sixth inning before making another late charge in the eighth. The Trojans finished with five runs on five hits and remained in position to claim the weekend series heading into Sunday. 

"I thought Brigden Parker gave us another quality start," Little Rock head coach Chris Curry said after the game. "We didn't do a good job early making an adjustment to their pitcher. When we got into the moment late in the game, we created innings via the walk or an error, and then some pitches were not where we wanted them to be."

Parker continued his steady work, limiting UT Martin to just one run over six innings. The senior left-hander scattered five hits, struck out two and consistently worked out of trouble, including escaping a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning with a double-play ball. 

The Trojans broke through in the sixth.

After UT Martin starter Brody Sharp controlled the game through five innings, Little Rock capitalized on defensive pressure and timely hitting to take a 3-1 lead. Jerdy Lopez reached and later scored, while Blake Simpson delivered an RBI single. The Trojans manufactured the inning with aggressive baserunning and forced the Skyhawks into mistakes. 

UT Martin responded with a four-run seventh inning to regain the lead, but Little Rock answered immediately in the eighth.

Cooper Chaplain ignited the rally and Kade Smith delivered the biggest swing of the afternoon, launching a two-run homer to tie the game at 5-5. Smith finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Simpson added an RBI hit and Chaplain scored a run. 

UT Martin pushed across the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth and held on in the ninth despite continued pressure from the Trojans.

Little Rock moves to 29-22 overall and 15-8 in Ohio Valley Conference play with the loss. The Trojans and Skyhawks finish the series at 1 p.m., Sunday. 
 

"We have to come out tomorrow and play well, which we usually do on Sunday, and win the series," Curry said.