Baseball clinches first series

Scott Shelton The Troy baseball team won its first series of the season and handed Louisiana Tech its first loss in last weekend’s series. With the win, the Trojans improved to a winning record of 4-3. In the first game of the series, the Trojans struck first with a pair of runs following a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and a sacrifice fly by Chase Smartt. The Bulldogs methodically came back with one run in three consecutive innings, but pitcher Levi Thomas held strong, giving up just three runs despite allowing nine hits. However, as they did twice against Central Michigan, clutch batting helped put Troy over the top. The Trojans put the game away in the seventh inning with a solo home run by Logan Cerny. After the game, Head Coach Mark Smartt noted Cerny’s effort so far this season. “I’d be remiss if I didn’t congratulate Logan Cerny on his first collegiate home run,” Smartt said. “That couldn’t have been at a better time.” Thomas pitched six innings and got his second win of the season. Pitchers Lance Johnson, Rush Hixon and Cory Gill came in relief and closed out the game. Because of rain, the team played games two and three in a double-header on Sunday. Louisiana Tech came back in Sunday’s first game with a vengeance. In game one, the Bulldogs scored five runs in the first inning. The Trojans responded with a three-run inning of their own in the second, highlighted by an RBI double by Andrew Garofalo.Troy pulled within a run from an RBI single by Sadler Goodwin. However, the bats were too hot for the Bulldogs. Two home runs and six runs in three of the last four innings put the game away and gave Louisiana Tech a 11-4 win. The final game of the series saw the Trojans’ best offensive performance with 14 hits in the game. Drew Frederic set the tone early in the first inning with a solo home run, his first of the season. Rigsby Mosley and Chase Smartt both got RBIs in the third inning to give the Trojans the lead for good. Tanner Jackson and Garofalo would each get an RBI before Frederic hit his second home run of the game. Frederic became the first Trojan to hit two home runs in one game since Brandon Lockridge accomplished the same feat in 2017. Hixon won his first game of the season for the Trojans. Starting pitcher Sadler Goodwin allowed just one run in the first five innings before the Bulldogs started their comeback. Gill finished off the game by striking out three batters as the Trojans held off the Bulldogs to win 7-5. The Trojans continue play this weekend in a home series against Southeastern Louisiana before heading to Hoover to play the Tennessee Volunteers in the Hoover Classic.