Troy University Athletics
TROY Goes 2-0 On Day One of Bulldog Classic
2/18/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Troy University opened the 2005 Bulldog Classic by defeating the Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech 3-1 and the Golden Hurricanes of Tulsa 5-4. With the two victories Troy improved its record to 10-1, its best start in five seasons.
In game one Senior Kacie Flinn allowed a home run in the first inning to TTU, then allowed only two more hits the rest of the game striking out four. Flinn only faced 24 batters in seven innings of work without walking a single batter. The Golden Eagles 1-0 lead after the first inning was only the second time the Trojans have trailed in a game all season.
We fell behind the first inning which was a little bit scary,” said Trojan Head Coach Melanie Davis. I am extremely proud of how the team reacted to that adversity.”
The Trojans took the lead in the third inning on a Tamra Howren two-run home run. It was Howren's second home run of the season and the 31st of the senior's career. After three full innings the Trojans led, 2-1.
I was swinging at a lot of bad pitches early in the game,” said Howren. I started to see the pitches better and I felt good about laying off the bad one as the game went on.”
Howren added another home run in the bottom of the sixth to give the Trojans a 3-1 lead, which would be the final score as Troy took game one of the Bulldogs Classic. With the win Troy improved its record to 9-1. Flinn improved her record to 3-1 with an ERA of 0.26.
Troy wound up in back to back games as it played the University of Tulsa after defeating TTU. The game would be a ten-inning thriller that the Trojans would take 5-4.
Troy loaded the bases in the top of the second for Stacey Dwyer. Dwyer drew a walk to score Michelle Grinage who was pinch-running for Bonnie Belin. Jenny Boyd came to the plate a few batters later with the bases still full. Boyd then tripled to center field to score three runs and give the Trojans a 4-0 lead after two innings.
In the bottom of the third Tulsa's offense tied up the game 4-4 on three bases loaded walks and a sacrifice fly. It would be the first earned runs for pitcher Jocelyn McCallum on the season. The score would remain the same through seven as the two teams prepared for extra innings.
It was in the tenth when the international tie-breaker rule helped the Trojans take the lead as Jenny Boyd was placed on second in Troy's half of the inning. Boyd advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Tara Blackwell. Boyd then reached home on another sacrifice as Tamra Howren laid a bunt down to get Boyd home. The Golden Hurricanes failed to score in the bottom of the tenth and the Trojans won the game 5-4. McCallum improved her record to 4-0 with an ERA of 0.80 on the season.
It was a marathon game from the beginning,” said Davis. The first 7 innings lasted two and a half hours. Tulsa is a good team and this was a very big win for us.”
With the two wins Troy improved its record to 10-1. Troy will go on to play Tennessee Tech again tomorrow at noon and then will face host Mississippi State at 2 p.m. Live Stats will be available by going to TroyTrojans.com. There is also a link to the tournament's home page for up to date information on the Bulldog Classic.
-TROJANS-
