Troy steals one from No. 17 Chanticleers, cruise past Alabama A&M

Wesley Kirchharr

Staff Writer

The Troy baseball team dropped a three-game conference series over the week, losing two games to Sun Belt Conference frontrunner Coastal Carolina.

The Trojans put an end to that losing streak on Tuesday, though, picking up their 24th win after defeating Alabama A&M at home 10-2.

Troy clinched the lone win in the series against No. 17 Coastal Carolina on Friday night, sealing the win with a two-run eighth inning. CCU tied the game at two runs each in the top of the frame, but a two RBI single from Joey Denison lifted Troy past the Chanticleers in the series opener, 4-2.

“It was a great game,” said Head Coach Mark Smartt. “Credit both teams because the competition level was excellent.

“They found a way to tie it, then we answered with the winning runs right after that. As a baseball fan, that was a great game to watch.”

Troy tacked on one run in both the first and second innings, but didn’t score again until the rally in the eighth. Denison led the Trojans at the plate with his 2-4 performance to go along with the two RBI’s. Brandon Lockridge followed with his lone hit being an RBI double in the opening frame.

Andrew Crane pitched 5.2 scoreless innings for the Trojans, but it was junior C.J. Carter who earned the win after striking out five in the final three innings. Carter allowed the two eighth-inning runs, but slammed the door on a ninth inning rally as Troy went on to win 4-2.

In the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, the Chanticleers edged Troy in a tight battle on the mound, downing the Trojans 3-2 to even the series. Similar to Friday’s matchup, the scoring was done at the game’s end, with the exception of one second-inning run.

Coastal Carolina hit a solo home run off the arm of Troy’s Daren Osby in the second inning to take a lead it held until the eighth inning.

Denison followed his performance on Friday with yet another go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the eighth. The senior led the squad with two hits along with the RBI. Troy took a 2-1 lead heading into the ninth, Troy’s first lead on the day.

The advantage was lost as CCU scored two unearned runs to put the game on ice. Corey Childress was charged his second pitching loss on the year after his late-game work.

In the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader, the Chanticleers found their rhythm in the opening frame, jumping out to a 5-0 lead and never looking back. Troy battled back, bringing it to within one run, but was held at bay as CCU clinched the series with the 5-4 win.

Rush Hixon was charged with the loss after his four innings on the mound for the Trojans. Hixon scattered three hits during his four scoreless innings, all while striking out four.

In Tuesday’s matchup with Alabama A&M, Troy picked up the win after Troy jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Trojans never looked back on their way to a 10-2 win.

Both teams added a pair of runs in the fourth, but Troy tacked on five runs between the seventh and eighth innings to seal the win.

Drew Frederic and Lockridge led the Trojans at the plate, picking up two hits each. Both Trojans drove in a run while Frederic scored three times and Lockridge scored once.

Max Newton got the start on the mound for Troy and also picked up the win. The sophomore scattered five hits while allowing only two runs and striking out four.

The Trojans look ahead to another conference series when they take on Arkansas State in Jonesboro, Arkansas, this weekend. The three-day series is set to begin Friday at 6:30 p.m., followed by a midweek road matchup against Alabama on Tuesday.

Related posts