by Rylee Bamberger
After a historic 11-0 start, the Trojan’s momentum has been put to a stop. The Troy baseball team has lost seven out of their last nine games and are currently 13-7.
Their troubles began just before Troy’s campus let out for spring break when Florida Gulf Coast traveled to Troy for a midweek tilt. FGCU swept the midweek, proving why they deserve to be ranked No. 19 in the nation.
The Trojans traveled to Orlando, Florida, where they played UCF. They lost 3-5 in the first matchup, extending their losing streak to three straight games.
However, the Trojans offense exploded, outscoring the Golden Knights 17-7 in the next two games. The Trojans evened the series after an impressive outing by graduate senior Zach Fruit on Saturday, March 11, recording nine strikeouts in five innings to secure the 12-3 win. Redshirt sophomore pitcher Grayson Stewart started the game on Sunday and recorded eight strikeouts in five innings before the Trojans looked to the bullpen to finish the game and seal the series.
Troy lost the next four games, one against Columbia at home, and then, the Trojans were swept in Atlanta by the Georgia State Panthers. In this four-game losing streak, the Trojans were outscored 45-27.
Troy’s offense has continued to produce throughout the season. First basemen William Sullivan and outfielder Shane Lewis are the main reasons for the Trojan’s success. Sullivan has a .375 batting average, leads the team in total bases, tied for first in doubles with six, has nine homeruns and 22 RBIs on the season. Lewis leads the team in home runs with 11, leads the team in RBIs with 34, is second on the team with 57 total bases and has a .324 batting average.
However, the Trojan pitching staff continues to struggle with limiting baserunners and earned runs. The Trojans starting pitchers have an average ERA of 6.37 and have walked 49 batters.
In the series with Georgia State, sophomore pitcher Brady Fuller allowed eight earned runs in one inning. Fruit allowed seven runs in four innings and Stewart allowed seven runs in 2.2 innings. However, this was expected due to GSU’s explosive offense that averages 9.1 runs per game.
The Trojan’s pitching staff has shown flashes of their talent with 211 total strikeouts in 20 games and keeping opponents to a .290 batting average.
Troy looks to bounce back and end this cold streak with several series coming up with Sun Belt Conference opponents including a home series with ULM. This will be a three-game series with first pitch set for 6 p.m. on Friday, March 24 at Riddle-Pace Field.
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