Fifth inning home runs help Trojans

UALR 6, ARKANSAS STATE 2

Ryan Benavidez and Nick Perez each hit two-run home runs in the fifth inning Saturday as the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (27-26, 15-14 Sun Belt Conference) snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 6-2 victory over Arkansas State University at Gary Hogan Field.

With the victory, the Trojans will be the No. 7 seed in next week’s Sun Belt Conference Tournament at Russo Park in Lafayette, La., while the Red Wolves (20-31, 11-19) will be the No. 9 seed.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Riley Pittman drew a walk after a ninepitch at-bat to start the rally for UALR. Two pitches later, Perez hit his two-run home run to left-center field to give the Trojans a 2-1 lead. Marcus Ragan was hit by a pitch with one out to put a runner aboard for Benavidez, who hit a home run down the right-field line on the first pitch to increase the advantage to 4-1.

The lead grew to 6-1 in the bottom of the sixth on RBI singles from Perez and Ragan. Casey Vaughan led off the eighth inning with a triple and scored on Winston Welch’s RBI single to set the final score.

Perez was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 3 RBI to lead the Trojans, who finished with 10 hits and stranded 7 runners. Welch was 2 for 3 while Drew Tipton was 2 for 5 with 1 run scored for the Red Wolves, who had 8 hits and left 9 runners on base.

NICHOLLS STATE 4, CENTRAL ARKANSAS 0

The University of Central Arkansas was shut out for a second consecutive day, managing just six singles as Nicholls State got the victory at Ray Didier Field in Thibodaux, La.

The Bears (32-23, 17-13 Southland Conference) suffered a series sweep for the first time this season, playing the final 24 innings without a run. The Bears will enter as the No. 5 seed in next week’s conference tournament, with their opening game at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

The Bears had just one runner get in scoring position when Hunter Strong reached on a fielder’s choice and moved to second on a Tyler Smith walk in the first inning.

The Colonels run. With the three victories, the Colonels (26-30, 14-16) broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the fourth inning, then added single runs in the fifth and sixth innings while holding the Bears to one baserunner over the final three innings, retiring the side in order in each of the final two innings to close out the game.