Basebal takes game from No. 12 USM

Troy baseball dropped their second Sun Belt Conference series against Southern Miss at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.  

The Trojans came off a series win against Old Dominion for their first conference series, and a win over Alabama State in a midweek matchup.  

Troy started strong against the Golden Eagles, with a Friday night win, 6-5, thanks to Benjamin Stubbs’ seven strong innings and a few two-out clutch hits.  

"That's the name of the game, two-out hitting,” said head coach Skylar Meade. “When you play over here, it's always a tourney atmosphere. 

“It's two-out hitting, two-out pitching and playing clean defense. The game really never changes.” 

Stubbs allowed five hits and struck out four with two walks, and handed the Golden Eagles four straight scoreless innings, allowing only three baserunners.  

The Golden Eagles started the scoring with three runs in the first three innings, but the Trojans tacked on three in the third inning from a three-run home run from Jimmy Janicki.  

The Trojans kept the momentum going as Josh Pyne brought in two runs on a double to right-center. To add insurance, Blake Cavill beat out an infield single as Aaron Piasecki scored from third to make the score 6-3.  

USM would fight to come back as they brought in two runs off a double by Drey Barnett in the eighth, but Cooper Ellingworth had a one-two-three ninth to make the save. 

Troy would drop the next two matchups in the series, as Saturday, the Trojans struggled from the mound, falling 11-5 to USM. 

The Golden Eagles were able to capitalize on the eight walks and one hit-by-pitch brought by the Troy pitching staff.  

"They did what we did last night,” Meade said. “They were great with two outs. 

“They were able to remain focused. I thought our hitters competed exceptionally well, but late, just not good enough on the hill." 

The Trojans held an early lead in the top of the second, 2-1, but the Golden Eagles scored two more in the bottom of the frame to take the lead and heldonto it. 

Dylan Alonso started for the Trojans for 3.1 innings, and Zach Crotchfelt followed with 2.2 innings of relief. The Trojans used Brady Richardson, Jackson Lucas and Dylan King to help shorten the lead, but the Golden Eagles never let up, making the series 1-1.  

In the series finale on Sunday, the Trojans failed to hold a 4-0 lead to fall 5-4 and drop the series.  

The Trojans started strong with a leadoff double by Steven Meier, with Piasecki bringing him in on a single and Blake Cavill’s two-run single.  

Tommy Egan had a strong six innings on the hill, as he struck out six and held USM to a pair of runs through the first five frames. 

USM tied the game with back-to-back walks, and the game-winning run came in the seventh on a sacrifice fly from Tucker Stockman bringing in Matthew Russo. 

The Trojans move to 3-3 in Sun Belt Conference Play as they take on Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Georgia after two midweeks against Samford and FAMU.