Double-digit scoring games, mercy rules, shutouts, comebacks, conference wins and heartbreaks. The Troy softball team’s spring break had it all, and if you blinked, then you might have missed it.
A lot of the Trojans’ success came from their offense. In the last two weeks, Troy has outscored its opponents, 75 to 40. As a team, the Trojans bolster a .326 batting average with 33 home runs, 175 RBIs, 408 total bases and a .922 OPS.
Troy improved to 22-9 overall and 2-1 in conference play after winning six of their last nine games.
After being shutout for the first time all season, the Trojans answered back in the second day of The Spring Games by dominating Columbia, 13-4, and blanking Sacred Heart, 11-0.
Taylor McKinney powered the Troy offense. The junior blasted home runs in both games, recording six RBIs on the day. The infielder holds a .324 batting average, 17 RBIs and three homers on the season.
The Trojans left Madeira Beach, Florida on a four-game winning streak after sweeping both games in the final day of The Spring Games with an 11-1 win over Stonehill and a dominant 15-3 victory over Long Island.
Jade Sinness was moved into the leadoff spot and took full advantage of the opportunity. The fifth-year senior hit a near perfect 5-for-6 from the plate with three home runs, eight RBIs and five runs scored. Sinness had a .667 batting average in the first two days after the change was made with 12 RBIs and four homers.
Troy ended Spring Break by winning its first conference series of the season, taking two games over Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers won the first game of the series, but the Trojans battled back through the rest of the weekend.
A day after falling to Coastal Carolina, Troy found itself down 11-5 entering the sixth inning. However, no lead is safe from this explosive offense. The Trojans scored eight unanswered runs to beat the Chanticleers, 13-12, and even the series.
The two programs battled until the very end of the series, taking the rubber match to extra innings where Troy would head back to the Troy Softball Complex with an 8-6 victory.
Anslee Finch was pivotal to open conference play. The senior outfielder went 4-for-8 from the plate with three RBIs and three home runs.
This past Tuesday, Troy suffered a heartbreaking defeat against the No.25 Auburn Tigers. The Trojans took the Tigers to a 10-inning back-and-forth battle.
Auburn found itself with an early 2-0 lead after a solo home run by junior catcher Anna Wohlers and an RBI single by Annabelle Widra. The Tigers almost doubled the lead after Amelia Lech launched a ball over the right field fence, but the call was overturned due to Icess Tresvik leaving first base early.
The Trojans flipped all the momentum in the sixth and seventh innings when a two-out rally led to an RBI single by Libby Baker and Cassidy Boltz sent a ball into orbit to tie the game.
Once extra innings started, both teams went back-and-forth, matching each other with lead-off triples that would be brought home in the eighth inning before both pitchers shut down the opposing side in the ninth.
The Tigers would capitalize off a throwing error by Emma Faulk that brought in Tresvik from third. This ended up being the game-winning run after Shelby Lowe struck out two Trojans to shut down all hopes of a comeback.
Alyssa Faircloth was impressive from the circle. The true freshman entered the game at the start of the sixth inning against the nationally ranked Tigers and hurled an excellent five innings. Faircloth finished the contest with six strikeouts and only allowed one earned run off five hits.
“This game should tell our girls that we can play with any team that are this caliber and at this level,” said head coach Eric Newell. “James Madison will be a tough matchup this weekend.
“We had a couple of defensive miscues that hurt us, but we competed offensively, and our pitching competed really well. Pitching has been an inconsistency and I thought that we really stepped up tonight and that gives us some confidence moving forward.”
Comments