Softball sweeps Georgia Southern on the road

The Troy softball team achieved their first road sweep of a Sun Belt Conference opponent since 2023 when it swept Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Georgia, over the weekend. The Trojans toppled the Eagles 5-1, 6-3 and 4-2 to take the sweep. 

In game one, the Trojans started Esmee Ames to take care of the Eagles, and she did, holding them to one run in her outing. Abby Lovell earned the win, striking out seven batters in 3.1 innings after relieving Ames. 

Mia Tidmore and Ella Cunningham hit back-to-back singles in the second, which got the first run on the board. Makaley Boswell and Kiley Huffman got the offense going in the third as well, with two more insurance runs. Lydia Kirby kept the runs coming with an RBI single, and Lovell ended it to make game one a 5-1 win for the Trojans. 

“We had timely hitting and for the first time in a while, outexecuted the opponent,” said head coach Eric Newell. 

In game two, Georgia Southern put some pressure on early and took a 2-1 lead. However, the Trojans fought back in the third with a walk from Presley Ivey and an RBI single from Boswell.  

Tidmore slapped a single, Ella Cunningham walked and Sophia Jenkins hit a pinch-hit, two-RBI double to make the game 4-2 in the third. It would be quiet on all fronts until Georgia Southern would get just one more run in. 

An RBI hit from Boswell and a sacrifice fly from Huffman made the final score 6-3 in favor of Troy. 

“This feels nice, but we talked about how we don’t want to be satisfied in the huddle,” Newell said. “We had good defense and timely pitching today.” 

In game three, Georgia Southern came out bats blazing, hoping to prevent a series sweep. After bringing in two runs, the Trojans were in a bit of a pickle. In the fifth inning, the narrative swiftly changed.  

Dailynn Motes smashed a homer to left-center and Tidmore recorded a two-RBI single to give Troy the lead. Following the huge fifth inning for Troy, the defense held on and achieved their first Sun Belt sweep in three years. 

 “It was a good weekend to get three wins in Statesboro against Georgia Southern, a team that was a game ahead of us in the standings before we showed up,” Newell said after the win. 

After two midweeks at Florida A&M and at home against Auburn, the Trojans welcome ULM for the last home series of the season. Games will be from Apr. 24 through Apr. 26.