Troy University Athletics
Troy University
FIU
Trojans Split With FIU
3/20/2010 10:00:00 PM | Softball
TROY, Ala. - The Troy Trojans softball team split a doubleheader with FIU on Saturday at the Trojan Softball Complex. Troy (16-13, 4-1) took game one 8-3, but fell in the second contest, 10-2. The Trojans and Golden Panthers (19-9, 4-1) will play one more tomorrow, with the winner taking first place in the Sun Belt standings. The game will start at 1:00 p.m. at the Trojan Softball Complex.
GAME ONE
Troy used a five run fourth inning and three FIU errors to top the Golden Panthers, 8-3 in game one. Ashlyn Williams went the distance for the Trojans, picking up the win, giving up three runs on two hits and striking out nine batters.
Seven different Trojans had one hit each with Courtney Cherry posting two RBI.
Williams got herself into an early jam with two walks in the top of the first. Those two free passes coupled with an error allowed the Golden Panthers to load the based with one out. Williams got the next batter, Lauren Spiers, to hit a pop up to the Rocky Paige in foul territory for the second out. With two outs and bases still full, Williams struck out Jackie Tetlow, retiring the side with no damage done.
The Trojans would get the first run of the game with a single score in the bottom of the first inning. Kala Moore got things started with a leadoff walk. After she stole second base, a sacrifice bunt by Kaitlin Kenney moved Moore to third base. Paige was next up and she put down a perfect squeeze bunt to score Moore from third, giving the Trojans a 1-0 lead.
The Trojans added one more run in the third inning. A one out walk to Kenney got things started for the Trojans. After Paige was hit by a pitch, Sarah Harris hit a ground ball to Kayla Burri at shortstop. Burri tried to retire Kenney at third, but the throw was wide of the bag and found its way into the FIU dugout, plating Kenney to give the Trojans a 2-0 lead.
Troy would add five more in the fourth, sending ten batters to the plate. The Trojans connected on four hits and took advantage of one FIU error. Courtney Cherry led the inning off with her fourth home run of the season. A Belinda White single and a Hayden Gann walk put runners on first and second. A Sarah Shields groundout moved the runners up one bag. Kala Moore then beat out a grounder to shortstop to plate another Trojan run, making the score, 4-0.
Kala Moore stole second to two runners into scoring position. A double by Kenney scored Gann from third and left runners on second third. That made the score 5-0 and chased Kacey Barrett from the game. Both on the runners that were on base later scored and were charged to Barrett. Her final line read 3.1 innings pitched, seven runs, five earned on five hits.
The Golden Panthers would cut into the lead with a three run spot in the sixth inning. A leadoff walk followed by FIU's first hit of the game put runners on first and second. After a pop out down the right field line, Brie Rojas hit her fifth home run of the season to plate three runs for the Golden Panthers, making the score 7-3.
Troy plated another insurance run in the sixth inning. Sarah Harris got things started with a one out double to right field. After a Nikki Hollett single put runners on the corners with one out, Cherry delivered a deep fly to the warning track in left field. The ball was tracked down by the Golden Panthers left fielder, but was deep enough to plate pinch runner Kortney Cooper from third base.
GAME TWO
The Trojans fell to FIU in game two, 10-2, Sally Ward got tagged with the loss. She gave up ten runs, eight earned with five walks and seven hits. Kaitlin Kenney led the Trojans at the plate, going 2-for-3 with 2 RBI.
FIU got on the board first with a single run in the second. After a hit batter and a walk put runners on first and second, a ground ball moved them into scoring position. Ward was then called for an illegal pitch that allowed the first run of the game to come across.
The Trojans put two runs on the board in the second to take an early 2-1 lead. A leadoff walk to Courtney Cherry got things going for the Trojans. A one out single by Hayden Gann followed by a walk to Sarah Shields loaded the bases with one out. After Kala Moore struck out, Kaitlin Kenney delivered with a single to left field. Cherry scored easily from third and pinch runner Ashley Adkins slid in under the tag, scoring the Trojans second run.
The golden Panthers would get back in the lead with eighth runs in the third inning, taking a 9-2 lead. The Golden Panthers sent 12 batters to the plate. They connected on six hits, took advantage of one Trojan error and left one runner on base.
The Golden Panthers added one more run in the fifth inning, making the score 10-2. Gniadek drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. After a ground ball moved her to third, a Trojan error plated the run.
The Trojans couldn't manage any more runs as Jennifer Gniadek went the distance and picked up the win. She gave up just the two runs on five hits and struck out seven.
The Trojans and Golden Panthers will close out the series at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. Admission to the Trojan Softball Complex is FREE.
