Baseball drops series at Georgia Southern

Troy baseball fell in its weekend series against Georgia Southern on the road to bring them to 4-5 in conference play.  

"We had the opportunity to take good swings, and we didn't add on in a time in which we really needed to, and to me, that's truly the testament of what happened,” said head coach Skylar Meade. “It's really not any crazy takeaway. 

“They took impactful swings and we did not, and the game came back to bite us. We wasted two great performances, one offensively from Steve [Meier] and certainly what Stubbs did." 

The Trojans started the opener on a roll, with a 3-1 lead going into the ninth. Steven Meier, who hit for the cycle, started the offensive spark with a triple and singles from Sean Darnell and Jimmy Janicki knocked in two runs.  

A solo shot from Meier 439 feet over the right field wall brought the Trojans up 3-0. However, the Eagles brought home one in the seventh and three in the ninth to secure the win. 

Saturday, the Trojans recorded just two hits in eight innings as the Eagles run-ruled 10-0. The Trojans made a number of substitutions on the mound and in the field, as Meier and designated hitter Dillon Kuehl were the only two to finish the game in the same position. 

In game three, the Trojans evaded a series sweep as they brought out Tommy Egan to pitch 7.1 innings, the longest outing on the mound this season. Egan exited the game with only four hits, four runs and eight strikeouts. The Trojans had nine hits and drew a season high 11 walks against the Eagles’ pitching staff. 

"For us to do the things we need to do, we probably needed to still have mistakes and figure out we could win,” Meade said. “Everybody stayed with the status quo. 

“Everybody handled business. And especially in the eighth, Cooper Ellingworth was able to pick us up." 

The fourth inning started the spark for Troy, as Cavill and Janicki singled and Meier ran home on a throwing error by catcher Bennett Edwards, bringing the Trojans up 2-0. The Eagles responded with three in the bottom of the frame, but a five-run sixth inning put Troy back in the lead.  

Troy tallied four hits and three walks in the sixth with a two-run single by Josh Pyne, an RBI double by Cavill and a two-RBI double from Janicki. Georgia Southern brought in two runs in the eighth due to an error by Brock Tapper and a hit-by-pitch by Egan, but Cooper Ellingworth got the Trojans out the inning with a flyout.  

The ninth inning shut the door for the Trojans as they scored four in the top of the frame. Sean Darnell slammed a three-run homer off the centerfielder’s glove and Aaron Piasecki doubled and scored on a throwing error while stealing third. 

After the Trojans face Alabama State at Riddle-Pace Field for their midweek, they will take on Arkansas State at home for another conference series matchup.