Ty Ammons
Staff Writer
The Troy University baseball team traveled to Statesboro, Georgia, to play the Georgia Southern Eagles on March 18-20, winning the series two games to one.
In the first game, Georgia Southern took off to a one-run lead in the first inning. Senior designated hitter Hunter Thomas hit a solo home run to right center field.
Troy responded in the top of the third inning when junior right fielder Trevor Davis hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring freshman second baseman Brandon Lockridge to tie the game.
Troy took the lead in the sixth inning when sophomore outfielder Shawn Pinnell singled to center field, scoring junior first baseman Joey Denison and giving Troy the winning point. Troy took the first game against the Eagles, 2-1.
The Trojans did not fare as well in the second game, as they lost 7-0 the following night.
The Eagles started the game the same way, scoring a run in the first inning. This time it came on a single by sophomore center fielder Logan Baldwin to put junior outfielder C.J. Brazil across the plate.
Georgia Southern put four more runs across the plate in the third inning. Baldwin singled again, this time to score junior shortstop Evan McDonald, and sophomore third baseman Will Hudgins put three more runs across with a home run to left center field.
Baldwin and Brazil both scored on the home run.
The Eagles didn’t stop there, though, piling on two more runs in the seventh inning. A single to right field from Baldwin scored Thomas and junior first baseman Ryan Cleveland.
Freshman pitcher Chase Cohen got the shutout win for Georgia Southern, tying the series. In the third game, Troy rebounded and won 8-4.
The Eagles started off fast again as they put three runs across the plate in the first. Hudgins singled to the left side to score Brazil and McDonald. Senior second baseman Kent Rollins hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Cleveland.
Troy responded in the fifth by tying the game up at 3-3. Junior center fielder Steven Whitaker singled to right field to score freshman catcher Chase Smartt, and then senior shortstop Peyton Fuller reached on an error.
This scored Whitaker and junior designated hitter Justin Friend.
Troy let loose in the sixth inning as they plated five runs. Chase Smartt started the scoring with a single to down the right side of the field to score Davis.
After that, Friend singled into center field to score senior left fielder Windham Jackson, and then Lockridge singled to left field to bring in Smartt. Later that inning, Fuller singled to center to score both Whitaker and Friend.
Brazil tried to spark the Eagles offense with a homer in the seventh, but that was the only run they would score. Junior Evan Hebert got the win for Troy.
That Tuesday, March 22, Troy came home to face Alabama A&M.
Troy started off strong in the third inning, scoring four runs. Fuller kicked it off with a walk to score senior third baseman Bert Givens, and then Denison singled through the left side to score Pinnell.
Smartt singled down the left field line to score the final two runs of the inning, Fuller and Lockridge.
Troy was given a gift at the start of the fourth inning when Lockridge struck out swinging but reached first on the passed ball. Bert Givens, who was on third base, crossed the plate on that play, making the score 5-0.
Fuller doubled later that inning to plate the sixth run, which was scored by Pinnell. The last runs of the inning were scored by Fuller and Lockridge when Denison singled up the middle of the field to make the final score 8-0.
Troy’s next series is against Little Rock in Little Rock, Arkansas. The weekend series will run Thursday, March 24, to Saturday, March 26.
