Softball rolls in fall home opener

Daniel Hunt The long-anticipated start to the 2018 softball season kicked off on Saturday with two Trojan victories against Northwest Florida State at home. In the first game of the doubleheader, both teams struggled out of the gate. In the third inning, Northwest Florida State would face nine total Trojan hitters. With the bases loaded, freshman Katie Lively was hit by a pitch that put the score 2-0. Back-to-back singles by Madalyn Porter and Kaylee Hussey were the last runs Troy would score until the sixth inning. Hope Hernandez’s massive single to left field drove in two more runs in the sixth. Hernandez would go on to score due to a Katie Webb single that put the game out of reach at 7-0. With the first game of the season out of the way, Troy’s offense took a step up in the second game, throttling Northwest Florida 15-4. The Raiders would strike first after three consecutive singles in the first inning. Troy responded with two hits of its own to put the score at 4-1. Troy scored a run in each inning following the first and had 18 total hits. Its 15-run performance was the most runs scored for Troy since March 19, 2016, against Appalachian State. Up next for the Trojans will be a home doubleheader against Lurleen B. Wallace Community on Wednesday, Oct. 17, starting at 6 p.m.