Baseball takes series, falls to Tenn.

Scott Shelton The Troy baseball team clinched a series win against Southeastern Louisiana at Riddle-Pace Field last weekend before falling to No. 21 Tennessee on Tuesday night in the Hoover Classic. After a series win and the loss to the Volunteers, the Trojans are now 6-6. After the first game against Southeastern Louisiana, Head Coach Mark Smartt noted the team’s effort. “We're getting better,” Smartt said. “We still have things to improve upon. “One thing I've noticed with this team through nine games is we like to compete; we like to get in there and fight.” In game one of the series, the Trojans got off to a slow start with no runs through the first four innings. Starting pitcher Levi Thomas held the Lions at bay, striking out seven batters in his five innings pitched. Southeastern Louisiana’s Cody Grosse put the Lions up 2-0 in the fifth inning. Troy responded with a three-run home run from first baseman Sadler Goodwin to take its first lead of the game. The home run marked Goodwin’s third home run in the last two games and the fourth of his career. After Thomas’s five innings, Lance Johnson came in relief to pitch, and he allowed two hits and no runs in his three innings pitched. Junior Dalton Sinquefield sealed the game for the Trojans with a two-run home run — the first of his career — in the ninth inning as the Trojans won game one 5-0. Game two of the series was played on Saturday in a doubleheader due to impending bad weather on Sunday, and it started off similarly to the first game. Starting pitcher Grant Stewart gave up a second-inning home run to the Lions. In the third inning, the Lions loaded the bases, but the junior pitcher was not fazed, as he got out of the jam with a double play and a strikeout to end the inning. Freshman Donovan Whibbs earned his first career hit and scored on a sacrifice fly by Reed Smith to tie the game at one run apiece. The Trojans hit their stride in the fifth inning after doubles by Drew Frederic and Rigsby Mosley. Frederic would go on to hit his third home run of the season in the eighth inning to put Troy up 5-1. Dalton Sinquefield, a transfer from Wallace-Hanceville Community College, added two RBI to his strong weekend.Also, Caleb Bartolero added a sacrifice fly in the eighth inningwhich iced the game for the Trojans and clinched the series. The third game did not fare as well for the Trojans. Southeastern Louisiana jumped to a 5-0 lead early, and by the fifth inning, the lead swelled to 12-2. The Lions benefited from Troy pitchers hitting seven batters, a school record, and a total of 11 batters walked. The Lions out-hit the Trojans 16 to six and avoided a Trojan sweep by winning the final game 19-4. Against the nationally ranked Volunteers, the Trojans held their own in the beginning. After two runs in the second inning by Tennessee, the Trojans responded with two of their own with a RBI from Austin Garofalo and Manning Early. Eight runs in three innings, however, put the game away for Tennessee. The Volunteers out-hit the Trojans 13 to six. Seven different Volunteers had a RBI, led by first baseman Luc Lipcius with three. Sadler Goodwin earned the loss, but led Trojan pitchers with four strikeouts and four hits allowed in his five innings pitched. This weekend the Trojans will play at home in a three-game series against North Alabama before heading on the road to face UAB and Jacksonville State on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Then, the Trojans will begin Sun Belt Conference play against Arkansas State at home on March 15.