West Central Reporter

The Western Illinois Leatherneck baseball team lost their second game in a three-game series against the Little Rock Trojans on Friday night, with a final score of 11-7. Initially, the Leathernecks took a 4-0 lead after three innings, but Little Rock responded with nine consecutive runs to take control of the game.

Western Illinois University (WIU) started strong, scoring a run in both the first and second innings. In the game's opening, Paul Osting and Krayton Morse hit consecutive singles, placing WIU in a scoring position. Tyler Large grounded into a double play but secured an RBI as Paul Osting scored, making it 1-0. In the second inning, after an error allowed Brock Lummus to reach base with two outs, Wandel Campana was hit by a pitch, and Osting's RBI double extended WIU's lead to 2-0. The team's highlight came in the third inning when Kenneth Perez and Justin Bogard hit solo home runs back-to-back, pushing the lead to 4-0. Perez now shares the team lead in home runs with four, while Bogard has hit two in his last three games.

Offensively, Osting and Lummus were instrumental for WIU, each achieving three hits. Osting went 3-for-4 with two singles, a double, and two RBIs, while Lummus went 3-for-5 with three singles, adding an RBI in the ninth inning.

Max Tripure started as pitcher for the Leathernecks, holding Little Rock scoreless in the first three innings. However, his performance faltered in the fourth, allowing five runs. Tripure ended his outing with 63 pitches, giving up nine hits and six runs.

The Leathernecks aim to avoid a series sweep in the final game against Little Rock, scheduled for tomorrow with a 1 p.m. start.

For ongoing updates on Leatherneck Baseball, fans can visit GoLeathernecks.com. The team can also be followed on social media platforms X, Instagram, and Facebook.