In a high-scoring baseball showdown at the Baton Rouge Regional, Little Rock triumphed over Rhode Island with a commanding 22-10 victory in a game that determined which team would be eliminated. Angel Cano had a standout performance for Little Rock, collecting four hits, including two doubles and a home run, and driving in seven runs. Zach Henry contributed significantly as well, securing three hits and four RBIs.
Little Rock, whose season record stood at 25 wins and 33 losses after the game, is slated to face another elimination challenge on Sunday. They will go up against the loser of the match-up between the top-seeded LSU team, which had previously defeated them 7-0 in the opening round, and Dallas Baptist.
The game saw Brody Bunting on the mound for the Trojans as he pitched the last 4 2/3 innings, allowing only two runs on three hits. The Trojans showcased power at the plate with Reed Willbanks and Sammy Harris each launching home runs. Alex Seguine also made a noticeable impact with three hits and three RBIs.
Initially, both teams struggled to get a base runner in the first inning. However, Cano and Henry soon turned things around for Little Rock, both securing two RBIs during a productive five-run second inning.
Not to be outdone, Rhode Island’s Nic Notarangelo responded, hitting a two-run homer, while Brody McKenzie chipped in with an RBI single, narrowing the gap to 5-3 by the third inning.
In the following frames, Harris extended Little Rock’s lead with a homer off Rams’ starter Jeremy Urena, who shared a 4-4 record with the Trojans’ Bunting. Additional RBIs from Ryan Geck and Ty Rhoades in the fourth inning kept Little Rock’s momentum alive. Despite these efforts, Rhode Island (38-22) rallied in the bottom of the inning with Jack Hopko drawing a two-out RBI walk, Anthony DePino scoring on a wild pitch, and DJ Perron delivering a two-run single to tighten the score to 8-7.
Hopko later hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning, bringing the score to 15-10. However, Little Rock’s victory was solidified in the ninth when Cano doubled for two RBIs, and Henry scored on a wild pitch, capping a seven-run explosion that sealed the game.