Baseball burns bulldogs; Trojans defeat Louisiana Tech, earn second series win

(Photo/Pawan Khanal)The Trojans through nine games this season have totaled 97 runs, trailing only Texas Tech’s 111 runs through the Red Raiders’ first nine games.Scott SheltonSports Editor The Troy baseball team suffered its first loss of the season against Louisiana Tech but took the series against the Bulldogs last weekend at Riddle-Pace Field. The Trojans followed the series with a Tuesday-night win against in-state foe Alabama State. After the game against the Hornets, Head Coach Mark Smartt discussed the team’s performance on Tuesday night. Really solid performance tonight,” Smartt said. “We did some good things offensively, but the main thing was that we pitched well. “Bay Witcher did a great job starting the game, and then the bullpen was terrific behind him.” In game one against Louisiana Tech on Friday, the Trojans allowed just one hit thanks to the pitching rotation and defense. Junior Levi Thomas continued his blistering start to the season with 11 strikeouts in six scoreless innings. Thomas is now 2-0 on the season and 12-2 for his career. Freshman Caleb Bartolero kept his momentum going with a home run and three RBI against the Bulldogs. The Trojans started the game scoring two runs in the first three innings. After a quiet middle of the game, the Trojans put two more runs on the board in the eighth inning. A dominant pitching game and defense limited the Bulldogs’ offense and earned the team’s first shutout win of the season. In game two of the series, the Trojans clinched the series with a 7-4 win, but they had to rally from behind. After two scoreless innings by both teams, the Bulldogs scored their first runs of the series with a four-run third inning. A double and a three-run home run put the Bulldogs ahead. The Trojans responded by not allowing any runs for the remainder of the game, and the offense scored seven runs in three innings. Junior Easton Kirk got the offense going with a two-RBI double. In the sixth inning, the Trojans scored three runs with Austin Garofalo, Kyle Mock and Reed Smith all reaching home plate. The Trojans continued their momentum in the seventh inning with two more runs. Smith drove in Bartolero, and Rigsby Mosley drove in Garofalo for the final tworuns of the game. In the series finale,the Trojans were shut out by the Bulldogs and suffered their first loss of the season. “Give Louisiana Tech credit for what they did,” Smartt said. “They came out swinging today. “We can use this as a learning opportunity, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this team responds.” The game started out similarly to the second game with the Bulldogs going up 4-0 by the third inning. Starting pitcher Max Newton gave up two home runs in the first three innings and suffered his first loss of the season. The Trojans came into the game averaging 13 runs for the first seven games of the season. But the team could only muster three hits and faced its first shutout of the season. On Tuesday, the Trojans bounced back against Alabama State in a mid-week affair. Mosley led the Trojans offensively, going 3-4 in his at-bats, including a home run. Mosley has now recorded a hit in 15-consecutive games dating back to last season. He now has six multi-hit games this season. Freshman William Sullivan was perfect on the night, going 3-3 with a triple. Next, the Trojans travel to Gainesville, Florida, for a series with the No.1-ranked Florida Gators.