PREVIEW: Southeast Missouri State at Arkansas-Little Rock

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Interstat) — The Ohio Valley Conference series between Southeast Missouri State and Arkansas-Little Rock continues Friday night at Mims Gym, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. under partly cloudy skies and a temperature of 78 degrees.

Southeast Missouri State (36-16) enters with the conference’s best record and won the opener 4-2 on Thursday behind a dominant start from right-hander Mason Pennington. The Redhawks have won four of their last five games overall and hold a 2.5-game lead in the OVC standings.

Arkansas-Little Rock (30-23) dropped the series opener but had won four of its previous six contests. The Trojans are 5-4 in their last nine games.

Pitching matchup

The Redhawks are expected to start Pennington, who threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings in Thursday’s win. He allowed zero hits, walked two and struck out four. Over his last five appearances, Pennington has a 4-1 record with a 4.91 ERA, 14 strikeouts and 16 1/3 innings pitched. The senior has been effective but inconsistent, allowing six earned runs in a loss to Eastern Illinois on May 2 and four earned runs in a win over Southern Indiana on May 8.

The Trojans counter with right-hander Brannon Westmoreland, who took the loss Thursday despite 6 strikeouts over five innings. He allowed three earned runs on six hits. Westmoreland has been a workhorse this season, throwing a nine-inning shutout with five strikeouts against Lindenwood on April 24 and a seven-inning, 10-strikeout performance against Morehead State on May 1. In his last four starts, he owns a 2.80 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings.

Key hitters

For Southeast Missouri State, second baseman Brooks Kettering went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in Thursday’s win. The Redhawks average 7.2 runs per game.

Arkansas-Little Rock first baseman Angel Cano hit a two-run homer in the opener. The Trojans are averaging 6.1 runs per game.

Projection

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-5 victory for Southeast Missouri State. Interstat’s ELO system gives the Redhawks a 55.2 percent probability of winning.

The series concludes Saturday with a single game at Mims Gym.