West Central Reporter

WIU Baseball began their three-game series with a 10-8 loss against Little Rock on Thursday night in Little Rock, Arkansas. Despite collecting 15 hits, the Leathernecks committed three costly errors, which contributed to the Trojans' scored runs.

Little Rock initially took a strong 5-0 lead. Billy Humphrey entered to pitch in the third inning and managed to halt the Trojans with only two hits across three innings, not allowing any runs and striking out two batters to keep the game competitive.

In the sixth inning, the Leathernecks capitalized by scoring six runs on five hits. Matt Olive and Kenneth Perez began with consecutive singles, and a walk to Kyree Alexander loaded the bases. Following a Trojans' pitching change, Justin Bogard hit a two-run double, narrowing the lead to 5-2. Krayton Morse nearly hit a grand slam but instead drove in two more runs with a double. Tyler Large then provided a two-run single, reversing the game's momentum in favor of WIU.

However, Little Rock responded in the bottom of the sixth with four runs, reclaiming a 9-6 advantage. The Leathernecks scored twice more in the eighth inning thanks to Morse's single and Olive's RBI hit, reducing the difference to 9-8. A defensive miscue later allowed Little Rock to extend their lead to 10-8.

In the ninth inning, Brock Lummus hit a single, but WIU's offensive efforts fell short as the subsequent batters struck out. Justin Bogard and Liam Bushey were notable for WIU, each having three hits during the match. Bogard ended the game with three hits and two RBI, while Bushey recorded three singles.

WIU aims to level the series in the next game scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m.

For further updates on Leatherneck Baseball, visit GoLeathernecks.com and follow their social media profiles.