After a four-and-a-half hour
rain delay prior to the start of the game, and another 31 minute stoppage in
the top of the eighth inning, Arkansas-Little Rock handed Valparaiso
its first loss of the season on Friday evening, as the Trojans defeated the
Crusaders 5-0 at Gary Hagan Field in Little
Rock, Ark.
Jake Sullivan went 6.1
innings for UALR, allowing just three hits while striking out 11 on his way to
his second victory (2-0) of the season on the hill.
The Trojans scored four times
in the bottom of the first inning and made that hold up, as the Crusaders
threatened just once on the night.
UALR’s first five hitters of the game all reached safely, including RBI
singles by Matt Apfel and Landis Wilson.
A double play ground out scored the third run, and Josh Marazzito plated
the fourth run of the opening frame with another single.
Valpo put runners on second
and third with two outs in the third inning, only to see Sullivan register a
strikeout to get out of the inning, the first of seven straight for him during
the middle innings.
UALR added a sacrifice fly
off the bat of Eric Hanlon in the seventh to round out the scoring, as the
Trojans made the most out of their six hits on the night.
The Crusaders managed just
five hits on the evening, with neither team having a player register more than
one for the game.
Alex Berry (Olney, Ill./East Richland H.S.) (0-1) suffered the loss for the Crusaders
in his first start of the season, working six innings allowing five hits and four runs. The senior struck out three and walked just
one.
Valparaiso (2-1) and Arkansas-Little Rock (4-2) are scheduled to
play game two of the three-game weekend series on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.