In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Ty Rhoades made a significant impact early by hitting a three-run homer in the first inning, followed by Angel Cano who added a two-run homer in the fourth. This offensive surge propelled Little Rock to an 8-6 victory over Dallas Baptist on Sunday during the Baton Rouge Regional.
Little Rock, with an overall record of 26-33, is set to face LSU in the championship game scheduled for Sunday night. To advance to the super regional, the Trojans need to overcome the Tigers in two consecutive games.
Dallas Baptist initially took the lead in the fourth inning when Michael Dattalo’s RBI single and a wild pitch put them ahead 4-3 with runners on the corners and two outs. However, Cano’s two-run homer shifted the balance back in favor of Little Rock. Subsequent solo home runs by Reed Willbanks and Zach Henry in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively, expanded Little Rock’s lead to 7-4.
In the ninth inning, Blake Van Cleave stepped in relief with a runner on base and efficiently secured the last three outs, earning his third save of the season. Meanwhile, Hunter Royal contributed by obtaining two crucial outs in the fourth inning, marking his third win of the year.
For Dallas Baptist, whose season record stands at 41-18, starting pitcher Rian Schwede (4-2) struggled, yielding six earned runs over 3 2/3 innings. Keaton Grady shone for the Patriots, going 3 for 4 in this game and tallying seven hits throughout the regional. Nathan Humphreys concluded his career at DBU with a total of 226 hits, ranking him tenth in the institution’s history.