A Late Surge Seals the Win
The SIUE Cougars entered the OVC Championship with a 3‑0 hole against Little Rock, but a clutch rally turned the tide.
Little Rock struck first, loading the bases with five consecutive singles in the second inning, a sequence that brought Nico Baumbach and Jerdy Lopez home for early runs.
SIUE answered with three two‑out runs in the fourth, as Mack Mitchell and Cooper Eggert drew walks while Sean Kang delivered a single to knot the score.
Gage Franck’s bat became the catalyst, launching a game‑tying triple in the fourth that scored Mitchell and Eggert, followed by another triple in the sixth that broke the 3‑3 deadlock and put the Cougars ahead.
Right‑hander Stearns anchored the effort, scattering eight hits over seven innings while allowing just three runs, a performance that kept Little Rock at arm’s length.
The bullpen tightened the grip; Joseph Martin delivered a scoreless eighth, and Easton Harris closed out the game with his 12th save of the season.
What’s Next
SIUE now prepares for a showdown with No. 2 seed Eastern Illinois, a team that finished the regular season with a strong pitching staff.
Little Rock, meanwhile, faces an elimination game later in the tournament, looking to rebound from a night that saw Nic Bronzini on the mound for four innings and Gage Haley take the loss.