UALR homers way past Jacks

Wednesday, March 7

Little Rock, Ark.

3:00 PM

South Dakota State University

UALR

3/7/2012 10:33:00 PM | Baseball

By: SDSU Sports Info

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Arkansas-Little Rock set a school record with eight home runs, including three by Sean Bignall, en route to a 20-8 victory over South Dakota State in non-conference baseball action Wednesday afternoon.

In sweeping the two-game series, UALR improved to 10-3 overall. The Jackrabbits remained winless at 0-8.

SDSU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a home run by Eric Cain, before Nick Rountree hit a two-run shot off Jackrabbit starter Joe Ellison in the bottom of the second.

The Jackrabbits scored an unearned run in the top of the third to tie the game, but UALR took control with five runs in the home half of the inning. Bignall hit his first home run of the game, a two-run shot to center field, and Bryson Thionnet added a solo shot later in the frame.

A sacrifice fly by Nick Andrews and run-scoring single by Andrew Melton in the sixth brought the Jackrabbits to within 7-4, but the Trojans tacked on five more runs in the bottom of the inning. Bignall hit another two-run homer and Rountree added his second round-tripper of the game.

Bignall, who was 4-for-5 with six runs batted in, opened the scoring in an eight-run eighth with his third two-run shot of the day and ninth home run of the young season. Myles Parma hit a three-run shot later in the frame and Kaleb Jobe made it back-to-back homers to cap the scoring.

Phil Paquette homered in the seventh and SDSU put together a three-run rally in the ninth, scoring a run on a groundout before Andrew Phelan's two-run double. Phelan and Paquette each went 3-for-5 to lead SDSU's 10-hit offensive attack.

The Trojans finished with 20 hits - 12 of which went for extra bases. Six different players had at least two hits.

SDSU will attempt to crack the win column Friday, when it opens a three-game series at Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

UALR 20, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 8
SDSU 101 002 103 8-10-1
UALR 025 005 08x 20-20-2
SDSU: Joe Ellison, Talon Jumper (3), Blake Fiedelman (5), Deon Entringer (6), J.D. Moore (7), Nick Young (8) and Nick Andrews, Steven Autenrieth (8). UALR: Tyler Buckley, Stephen Chandler (6), Ryan Montgomery (9) and Myles Parma.
W-Buckley (1-1). L-Ellison (0-1). Save-none.
HR: SDSU-Eric Cain (1), Phil Paquette (1); UALR-Sean Bignall 3 (9), Nick Rountree 2 (3), Myles Parma (3), Kaleb Jobe (1), Bryson Thionnet (1).