Troy University Athletics
Trojans Pound Billikens 14-2 In Series Finale
3/6/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
TROY, Ala. - On an afternoon when the Troy offense broke out the long ball for the first time this season, it was the work of a freshman pitcher who stole the show in a 14-2 romp over Saint Louis in the final game of a three-game series.
The Trojans improved to 9-4 on the year with the win while dropping SLU to 2-6.
Freshman Ryan Ellison (1-0) made his debut as a starting pitcher for the Trojans and his performance bordered on spectacular. In seven innings of work he allowed just two hits and one run. He walked just one and struck out 10.
"We knew going in that Ryan has great stuff, and this was a good chance for us to give him a start and see what he can do," Trojans coach Bobby Pierce said. "Once he shook off some jitters early on, he pitched very well."
Well enough that the only run he allowed came on a strikeout. Ellison allowed his only walk, hit a batter and gave up a single to load the bases with one out in the third. After striking out Drew Elder for the second out, he got cleanup hitter Matt Gerst to strikeout on a slider in the dirt. The ball spun away from catcher Henry Gutierrez, allowing Casey More to come in from third.
That lone early run by the Billikens was insignificant in the face of the Trojans' season-high 18-hit attack. Gutierrez, who came into the game with an 10-game hit streak, was the star. He launched two-run homers in the first and third innings and then doubled home a run in the seventh.
"Henry is really swinging the bat the way we know he can," Pierce said. "He has a lot of confidence at the plate right now, and that shows in the way he is producing for us."
But Gutierrez wasn't the only Troy player to break out the long ball. The Trojans left the yard five times in the game, getting solo shots from Nick Smith in the first and Michael Clements in the fifth to go with a three-run bomb from Blake Green in Troy's seven-run seventh inning.
Clint Robinson, Gutierrez, Smith and Chase Amis all had three hits for the Trojans. The only Troy starter without a hit in the game was leadoff hitter Adam Godwin, who went 0-for-5, snapping his 8-game hit streak.
Freshman right-hander Lance Rhodes (0-2) was the first of five Billikens pitchers to face the Troy onslaught. He lasted 3 2/3 innings, allowing five runs, all earned, on nine hits. The quartet of Mark Zielinski, Adam Schroeder, Karl Steinlage and Chris Paulson finished out the game for Saint Louis.
Pat Steinhoff was the only bright spot offensively for SLU. The senior shortstop had three of the Billikens' five hits in the game.
The Trojans will return to action Tuesday night in Birmingham against UAB (7-5). The Blazers are coming off a three-game series at second-ranked LSU in which they dropped the first two games 12-6 and 7-3 before winning the series finale 4-3 in Baton Rouge.
It will be the first meeting between Troy and UAB in baseball since 1993. The first pitch on Tuesday from Young Memorial Field is set for 6 p.m.
Troy will open Atlantic Sun Conference play next weekend with a three-game home series against Lipscomb. Games on Friday and Saturday are scheduled for 6 p.m. with the Sunday game set for a 1 p.m. start.
