Little Rock secured a 2-0 victory over Lindenwood on April 24, with pitcher Brannon Westmoreland throwing a complete-game shutout at the Lou Brock Sports Complex. The win extended the Trojans’ winning streak to six games and ended Lindenwood’s eight-game run.
The matchup featured two of the Ohio Valley Conference’s top pitchers. Westmoreland allowed only six hits, struck out five batters, and walked one during his dominant performance. “Friday night, you’ve got two aces going at it,” Little Rock head coach Chris Curry said. “You had last year’s Pitcher of the Year in Newell, who is really, really good. And then you’ve got a guy in Brannon Westmoreland who, if he’s not in that conversation, he is now.”
Westmoreland has recorded two shutouts in his last three starts against strong opponents. “Two of his last three starts have been shutouts against really good clubs,” Curry said. “That tells you everything. He was outstanding again tonight.” After hitting the first batter he faced, Westmoreland quickly regained control on the mound.
“We had a great game plan going into it, and it’s about going out there and executing it,” Westmoreland said. “When you do that over nine innings, you give yourself a chance to win.” Offensively for Little Rock, Cade Martin hit a solo home run in the fifth inning and later added a double while scoring both runs for his team.
Martin described contributing both offensively and defensively: “It’s definitely pretty cool to control the game behind the plate and then come through with the game-winning home run,” he said. Defensively, Little Rock played error-free baseball throughout the contest.
Looking ahead to their next matchup on Saturday at 1 p.m., Curry commented: “We’re playing good baseball right now, and we’re excited to get back out here tomorrow and try to win the series.”
