NEW ORLEANS ? Arkansas-Little Rock left-hander Jake Sullivan tossed 7 1/3 solid innings to help the Trojans take an 8-2 win at New Orleans on Friday evening at Maestri Field.
The junior gave up just five hits and struck out six as the Trojans (15-30, 6-17 Sun Belt Conference) snapped a five-game conference losing streak.
Eric Hanlon went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs, and Matt Apfel added a two-run shot. The duo helped UALR jump out to a 7-0 lead and let Sullivan do the rest.
“Sullivan is a guy who started his career at Georgia Tech,” said UNO head coach Tom Walter. “He showed why he will get drafted. He throws with a lot of velocity, and he's very tall, so it makes it tough to see.”
UNO (20-29, 10-15) managed just five hits overall, though junior outfielder Ryan Eden went 2-for-4 with an RBI single.
Freshman left-hander Ricky Ott, making his first Friday start of the year, got the loss. Ott (1-3) surrendered nine hits and seven runs (six earned) in 4 2/3 innings. The southpaw did strike out a career-high eight.
UALR got to Ott in the first inning thanks to Apfel's two-run shot to left field. The Trojans added a three-spot in the fourth highlighted by a Hanlon RBI double and an RBI single from nine-hole hitter Brandon Welch.
The visitors made it 7-0 in the fifth on an opposite-field, two-run home run from Hanlon.
UNO got single runs in the fifth and sixth, with Alan Harris getting the hosts on the board with an RBI double. Eden capped UNO's scoring with an RBI single in the sixth.
Sullivan cruised early, retiring 12 straight batters at one point before he started fighting his control a bit. The Little Rock native threw 122 pitches.
Sean Potter recorded the final five outs.
UNO did get another good effort from its bullpen, as the trio of Matt Brown, Cory Myers and Tyler Sanders combined to allow just one hit in the final 4 1/3 innings.
“We just had a bad approach at the plate today,” Walter said. “And then our defense really hurt us. We had a few plays that cost us three runs. We just let it get away from us tonight.”
The two teams will continue the three-game series at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Maestri Field.
