Hanna Cooper
Staff Writer
After a win over the defending national champions, the Florida State Seminoles, Troy softball came back home for the Geaux Teal game versus Mississippi State in honor of Alex Wilcox.
Troy started freshman Leanna Johnson in the circle. Johnson is a Brantley, AL native who attended high school with Alex Wilcox. Johnson kept the Bulldogs quiet through the first four innings in the circle with five strikeouts, one walk and no runs allowed.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Troy’s Katie Webb reached off of an error by the centerfielder. With Webb on second, Stephanie Snyder laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Webb to third. Madeline Porter followed Snyder’s bunt with a squeeze bunt that scored Webb and put herself on base. Porter stole a base putting a runner on second for Kaylee Hussey. Hussey homered to left-center field, giving Troy a three-point lead.
In the top of the fifth, Mississippi State led off the inning with a single to right-center. A fielder’s choice took out the Bulldog’s lead runner and gave Troy an out. Peyton Glover came to the circle to relieve Johnson. An error by the Trojans followed by a hit for the Bulldogs scored Mississippi State’s first run. Following the error, a bases-loaded walk gave the Bulldogs their second run on the board. Glover was able to force two pop-ups to close out the inning.
Glover returned to the circle for the sixth and seventh inning and shut out the Bulldogs to lead Troy to a 3-2 victory.
With a win over Mississippi State, the Trojan softball team goes undefeated in fall play. Troy outscored its two Power 5 opponents a combined 9-3 while also toppling Northwest Florida State College and Lurleen B Wallace Community College.
The softball team now turns their attention to the upcoming spring season when they begin play in February.
