LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock's offense had another productive afternoon, registering at least 10 runs for the fourth time this season, and another quality start from
Hayden Arnold kept Southern Illinois at bay as the Trojans take game one of the weekend series with a 10-0 win over the Salukis at Gary Hogan Field.
The win is the sixth-straight for Little Rock, matching its longest winning streak since a six-game stretch in 2019, as the Trojans improve to 6-1 on the year. The six wins through seven wins is the most for the program since 2010 when Little Rock opened the year 7-1.
Arnold had his second quality start in as many outings, allowing just four hits with one walk and five strikeouts over 7.0 innings. Through three starts this season, Arnold has allowed just two earned runs over 19.1 innings pitched for a 0.93 ERA. With his five strikeouts on the day, Arnold upped his career strikeout count to 243, moving into fifth place all-time in program history.
Offensively, Little Rock generated 12 hits against the Salukis as eight different Trojans had at least one hit with four players tallying a pair.
Miguel Soto came up big offensively, going 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles while
Noah Dickerson went 2-for-5, including a double and a two-run homerun to give him three RBI on the afternoon.
Eldrige Figueroa was 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI with
Nathan Lyons also tallying a pair of hits going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Canyon McWilliams drove in a pair, finishing 1-for-4 on the day, with
Tyler Williams adding an RBI double and
Jake Wright driving in a run as well.
Little Rock struck early, taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first off Dickerson's fifth homerun of the season – a 418-foot blast to right with a 106 mph exit velocity, bringing home Williams following a one-out walk.
The Trojans would add another in the third getting runners at second and third with no outs behind a walk to
Jorden Hussein and a single by Figueroa, advancing 90 feet off a wild pitch. McWilliams drove in the run on an RBI ground out, scoring Hussein to push the lead to 3-0.
Meanwhile on the mound, Arnold was frustrating Saluki batters as he retired 11-straight batters and 13 of the first 14 he faced, giving out just a two-out double in the top of the first.
Little Rock broke the game open in the fourth, scoring a season-high seven runs off eight hits to build a 10-0 lead. Lyons led off the inning with a single before a Soto double gave the Trojans runners at second and third with no outs, scoring Lyons on a fielders choice RBI ground out by Wright.
A single by
Jack Stroth gave little Rock runners at the corners with one out as Wright tried to score on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Hussein, but was gunned out at home to give the Trojans two on with two outs.
But Little Rock would take advantage of opportunities, scoring six of its seven runs in the inning with two outs. Figueroa started the streak with a two-RBI triple to the right field corner, scoring Hussein and Stroth. That would be the start of five-straight two out hits for Little Rock, comprised of a double by Williams, a single by McWilliams, a double by Dickerson and a single from Lyons, giving him two hits in the inning and driving home the final run of the stanza, giving the Trojans the 10-0 lead when the dust settled.
Southern Illinois had its best scoring chance in the fifth, getting runners at second and third with just one out, but the Trojans worked their way out of the jam to slam the door on the Salukis.
Little Rock's pitching staff combined to retire 14 of the final 15 batters of the game, including the Trojans' ninth double play of the season to end the sixth. After Arnold left the game after the seventh,
Preston Davis made his Trojan debut, allowing a walk before retiring three-straight, including his first collegiate strikeout.
Chance Vaught then made quick work of the Salukis in the ninth, retiring the side on 12 pitches with a strikeout.
Because of the threat of rain and possible severe thunderstorms Sunday, the series will conclude Saturday with a doubleheader, beginning at 12 p.m. at Gary Hogan Field.
Jacob Weatherley gets the start in game one with
Erik McKnight slated to start game two approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the 12 p.m. game.
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