Wes Fortson
Staff Writer
The Troy baseball team welcomed the Southern Miss Golden Eagles to Riddle-Pace Field on Friday, Feb. 27, but lost the series 2-1.
The series has been an ongoing meeting between the two schools and has proven to be an entertaining matchup.
On Friday night, the Trojans struck early in the first when junior right fielder Logan Hill hit a two-run bomb to center field to put Troy on the board 2-0.
By the end of the fourth inning, Troy tacked on two more runs with some help from the redshirt junior catcher Tripp Calhoun.
Calhoun grounded out to third base in the second inning to score senior first baseman Trevin Hall and also walked in the fourth inning to force Hall home.
Troy’s aggressive offense helped cushion the two solo homers allowed by freshman pitcher Corey Childress.
Childress still had a productive night even after allowing the two runs. He gave up only six hits and had four strikeouts against a talented Southern Miss offense.
The final score of Friday night’s game was 6-2 as Childress added another win to his career at Troy.
“I really liked the way Corey pitched,” said head coach Bobby Pierce. “He didn’t really have good stuff tonight, but that challenged a young guy to see a little trouble early in a game and make some quality pitches.”
On Saturday, Feb. 28, the Trojans had their Hits for Heroes game and played in camo uniforms for the first time.
Troy reversed its luck with a tough-fought 6-2 loss to the Golden Eagles on Saturday.
Both sides were held not only scoreless but also hitless for the first six innings of the game as the pitchers battled it out on the mound.
Troy’s junior pitcher Grant Bennett looked stellar in his third start of the season, as he struck out seven batters and allowed only two hits.
Southern Miss struck first in the top of the seventh when junior first baseman Tim Lynch hit a two-run home run to deep right center field.
However, the Trojans came back and tied the game in the bottom of the ninth as senior pinch hitter David Hall doubled to right field to score Hill and junior left fielder Windham Jackson.
In the top of the 10th, Troy was looking to steal a victory but couldn’t seem to keep Southern Miss off the bases, after a catcher’s interference call and an intentional walk put runners on the corners.
The Golden Eagles’ freshman designated hitter Daniel Keating tripled to right field to score three more runs and put the nail in the coffin.
Sunday afternoon, March 1, the Trojans once again looked to be resilient.
Unfortunately, sophomore pitcher Tucker Simpson and the Troy offense weren’t enough to win the series in a 5-0 loss.
The Trojans managed to accumulate six hits, but none were in the right situations to score any runs, leaving six runners on base.
Southern Miss seemed to be firing on all cylinders on Sunday.
The Eagles’ five runs came from a couple of doubles and a two-run home run by senior center fielder Connor Barron.
“Our series with Southern Miss is always a challenge, and they’re always a very good team,” said assistant coach Mark Smartt. “They always bring a great series.”
Troy played Alabama State on Tuesday, March 3, and lost 12-8.
The Trojans will be back on the diamond against UL Lafayette this Friday, March 6, in Louisiana.
