The Little Rock Trojans defeated Eastern Illinois 7-6 in a 14-inning baseball game at Gary Hogan Field on April 17. The victory came in the opening matchup of an Ohio Valley Conference series.
The extended contest highlighted the resilience of both teams, with Little Rock overcoming multiple deficits before securing the win. Cooper Chaplain delivered the walk-off single in the bottom of the 14th inning, driving in Blake Simpson to end a four-hour, twenty-two-minute game.
Chaplain finished with three hits, three runs scored, a home run and two runs batted in. “I wrote on my bat with a Sharpie, ‘NTL’ — nothing to lose,” Chaplain said. “I just went out there and played with freedom. I give all the credit to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I couldn’t do it without Him.” Simpson contributed five hits and two doubles for Little Rock, while Angel Cano had four hits and three runs batted in.
Little Rock’s offense totaled seventeen hits and drew seven walks over fourteen innings. After falling behind early, Cano tied the game with a two-run single in the third inning before Nolan Freund gave Little Rock its first lead with a sacrifice fly. Eastern Illinois responded throughout regulation play but could not capitalize on several opportunities, leaving fourteen runners stranded.
Pitcher Gage Haley threw three scoreless innings for Little Rock late in extra innings to earn his fourth win of the season. Tag Andrews also contributed from the bullpen: “This was a lot of fun,” Andrews said. “I love being out here with Coach Curry and the guys. There is nothing like playing at Gary Hogan Field. It was great.” Head coach Chris Curry credited timely hitting for his team’s success: “We were able to get the extra-base hits tonight — the doubles and the home run,” Curry said. “That was the difference.”
The series continues Saturday afternoon at Gary Hogan Field as both teams prepare for another matchup under different conditions: “It will be a much different game,” Curry said. “The weather will be cooler, and we will have to grind it out. Both teams used a lot of pitching, so starting pitching will be very important. We’ll be ready.”
