LITTLE ROCK – Trailing by five in the fourth inning, Little Rock rattled off nine unanswered runs to rally for a 12-9 win over ULM Saturday night at Gary Hogan Field. The win over the Warhawks clinches the series as Little Rock improves to 19-19 on the year and 8-11 in Sun Belt play.
Little Rock got off to a quick start in the first as
Noah Dickerson began an impressive 3-for-5 day with a solo home run to right that traveled 394 feet, giving him the first off his five RBI on the night and put the Trojans on top 1-0.
ULM answered back with two in the second and four in the third, building a 6-1 lead heading to the home half of the third.
Tyler Williams started the offense with two outs in the inning, followed by back-to-back doubles from Dickerson and
Canyon McWilliams to score a pair of runs and cut the deficit to 6-3.
The Warhawks responded with a two-run home run following a one-out walk, pushing the lead to 8-3. But the Trojan comeback started in the bottom of the fourth as RBI singles from
Jorden Hussein and
Tyler Williams cut the deficit to 8-5, followed by a two-RBI double from Dickerson that brought Williams and Hussein home and pull the Trojans within one at 8-7.
After a scoreless fifth, Little Rock strung together another big inning in the sixth, getting runners at the corners with one out for McWilliams who drove an RBI single to center to score
Eldrige Figueroa and tie the game at 8-8. A
Nathan Lyons single to third loaded the bases for
Miguel Soto, who ripped a bases-clearing three RBI double down the left field line to put Little Rock on top for good.
The Trojans added an insurance run in the eighth as Williams knocked a leadoff triple to the wall in right center before Dickerson tallied his fifth RBI of the night, bringing him home with an RBI groundout to push the lead to 12-8. ULM would score once in the ninth off a one-out RBI single, but
Jacob Weatherley registered three strikeouts in the ninth, including the final two batters, to secure the win for the Trojans.
Williams, Dickerson and McWilliams, the two-three-and-four hitters, each had three hits on the night and combined for eight of Little Rock's 12 RBI, led by Dickerson's five -a season high for the team. McWilliams drove in a pair and Williams brought one home as Soto went 2-for-2 with three RBI. As a team, Little Rock combined for six extra base hits, led by Dickerson's six total bases on the evening.
On the mound, the Trojans used five different pitchers with the win going to
Chance Vaught, who had a solid outing out of the bullpen with 3.0 innings pitched, allowing no runs on one hit with five strikeouts.
Michael Quevedo had his best performance as a Trojan, going 1.1 innings and allowing no runs on no hits with a pair of walks and a strikeout.
Jacob Weatherley earned the save, going the final 1.1 innings and giving up one unearned run on two hits, striking out the side in the ninth.
With the win, Little Rock secures the victory over the Warhawks and notches a key victory in the chase for the Sun Belt tournament in Montgomery, Alabama. The Trojans sit firmly in the number eight spot, a half game behind seventh-place South Alabama (9-11) and two full games ahead of ULM.
The series finale against the Warhawks is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. at Gary Hogan Field.
Preston Davis is set to get the start on "501" day (May 1), as all tickets to the series finale are just $5.01 in honor of the Trojans' 501 area code.
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