With aces burned, Little Rock and Rhode Island teed off early and often Saturday afternoon.
The No. 4 seed Trojans won the slugfest and eliminated the No. 3 seed Rams, 22-10, at Alex Box Stadium.
Things got going in the second when Little Rock hung a five-spot, but Rhode Island countered with three in the bottom half to stay close. It was the middle innings when Rhode Island pitching truly faltered.
Little Rock scored three in the fourth, two in the fifth and two more in the sixth. Then three more in the seventh made it 15-8. Rhode Island simply ran out of options on the mound, and Little Rock scored seven more in the ninth.
Every Little Rock starter had at least one hit, and eight of nine scored a run. The Trojans pounded out 20 hits, nine for extra bases, and walked seven times.
Angel Cano drove in seven runs and scored four times.
Little Rock awaits the loser of Saturday night’s game between No. 1 seed LSU and No. 2 seed Dallas Baptist. That elimination game is set for 2:00 on Sunday.
Rhode Island finished the season 38-22. Their final play was a missed first base by Ryan King who had doubled in a pair of runs. But appeal showed he missed the base to end the ballgame.
