Baseball coasts to Top 25 series win over CCU

Taylor Fraze photo

Luke Lyon fires a pitch in game two against Coastal Carolina.

The Trojans returned home after their nine-game road trip for a series against No. 24 Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers struck first, but the Trojans claimed the next two matchups to win the series 2-1.

Following this series win, the Trojans rose in D1 Baseball’s rankings to No. 22.

“What’s great about this group is if you challenge them to change something, they do a great job of doing that,” said head coach Skylar Meade. “The challenge this weekend was playing clean and attacking the zone to get a series win against a very good ball club.”

Game one ended in an 11-3 Coastal Carolina victory, but Troy remained competitive throughout. The Trojans own mistakes resulted in Coastal Carolina bolstering their lead. The pitching staff had 10 walks and six hit by pitches, gifting the Chanticleers opportunities to score.

Steven Meier crushed a home run in the fourth inning to tie the game up at three, but this would be Troy’s final run scored. Brock Tapper loaded the bases in the top of the sixth inning before Sebastian Alexander hit a three-run home run off Colby Frieda. Coastal Carolina ballooned the lead even further in the top of the ninth due to more pitching troubles from the Trojans bullpen.

Coastal Carolina’s pitching staff was excellent in the game. The starter, Jacob Morrison, recorded five strikeouts but did allow six hits. Morrison’s replacement -- Dominick Carbone -- pitched four scoreless innings with seven punchouts.

The Trojans punched back in game two grabbing a 9-8 victory in a thriller.

Neither team started off quickly on the offensive side with the pitchers winning early.

Trojan pitcher Noah Edders recorded nine strikeouts in his outing on the mound.

The Chanticleers struck first in the fourth inning on two RBI singles from shortstop Ty Dooley and catcher Caden Bodine. Second baseman Blake Barthol followed this up with a solo homer in the fifth inning increasing the lead to 3-0. Troy’s offense found life in the fifth inning also.

Leadoff hitter Gavin Schrader scorched a single into right field, and Jakob Wax scored Schrader on a double to left.

Edders then stepped out and shut down the Chanticleer batters to start the sixth inning, and the momentum did not stop there. The top of the order loaded the bases to start the bottom of the sixth, resulting in a pitching change for Coastal Carolina.

The pitching proved ineffective as the Trojans plated four to take the lead, 5-3. Once again, Wax plated a run with a sacrifice bunt to the pitcher, his second of three RBIs in the game.

The Chanticleers rebounded in the eighth inning scoring four of their own and threatened to score more. Luke Lyon entered the game and immediately forced Coastal Carolina into a double play. The bats needed to step up one more time, now down 8-5.

“The older guys came to the dugout to let the team know that isn’t what we do,” first baseman Blake Cavill said. “We come out and we show them what that meant for us and end up taking the win.”

The offense showed up in the clutch, regaining the lead for Troy. Harrison Bowman got things started with a single, and Schrader got a lucky bounce on an infield scorcher to make it to first with no outs. Wax once again stepped up and delivered with a double down the third base line, scoring Bowman from second.

“Don’t count us out,” Wax said. “I am feeling confident in my approach right now and in this tough sport, confidence always wins.”

Then, the pitching woes started for Coastal Carolina. Meier stepped up to the plate and was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Blake Cavill stepped up and secured an RBI hit by pitch two batters later, tying the game. One batter later, Brooks Bryan walked, giving the Trojans the lead.

The Trojans closed the game out on a double play diving catch from Schrader in right field before he darted the ball to Cavill at first base.

Troy and Coastal Carolina prepared for the rubber match. Drew Nelson was pitching for the Trojans, and last year’s Friday night starter for the Chanticleers, Riley Eikhoff, got the nod .

The Trojans struck first with an RBI single from Bryan, scoring Meier from first base to gain a 1-0 lead. Nelson pitched effectively, shutting down Coastal Carolina for two straight innings. Coastal Carolina plated four in the third on back-to-back homers from Dooley and Wells Sykes. The Trojans had to make an early bullpen call.

“My approach is the same no matter where I am pitching,” said senior pitcher Grayson Stewart. “I want to execute my nastiest pitch in the best location no matter the situation.

“When you start worrying about other matters like the score, things can go array.”

Stewart was masterful in his outing, going 3.2 scoreless innings and earning the win. The bats came alive to support Stewart’s efforts in the sixth. Schrader homered to center field to tie the game at four, and Jimmy Janicki smashed his first career long ball one batter later to break the tie.

Adam Falinski entered in the seventh and followed in Stewart’s footsteps, shutting down Coastal Carolina. The top of the order was due up in the bottom of the seventh.

Meier and Sean Darnell reached on hit by pitches, and Cavill advanced them on a sacrifice bunt. Bryan was due up with only one out, but Coastal Carolina intentionally walked him hoping to set up a double play. The game fell to Bowman.

“I kind of took that personally,” Bowman said. “I stuck to my approach and tried to get a lead on the fastball.”

Bowman crushed a grand slam to left field, increasing Troy’s lead to 9-4. The score remained there until the ninth inning when Coastal Carolina plated one more on a ground out to first base. Jay Dill then forced Bodine into a fly out and Troy secured the series with a 9-5 victory.

Following midweek games against Wofford and Florida A&M, the Trojans play host to Marshall for a weekend series.