Troy University Athletics
Troy University
UL Lafayette
Trojans Fail To Solve Osborne in 6-0 Loss To ULL
4/10/2010 1:00:00 AM | Baseball
LAFAYETTE, La. – If the Troy Trojans never have to see Louisiana-Lafayette's Zach Osborne on the mound again it will be to soon.
For the second straight season, the Houston native pitched a complete game shutout against the Trojans, this time holding Troy to just one hit in a 6-0 ULL victory at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field.
The Ragin' Cajuns (16-14, 5-8) got all the offense they needed in support of Osborne in the first inning when Chad Keefer hit a two-run homer of Trojans starter Andrew Dickinson (3-3), who also went the distance in the game for Troy.
Osborne (4-2) only walked one and struck out seven in the one-hitter. The only Troy hitter to spoil a no-hit bid was sophomore Blake Martz, who delivered a solid single up the middle in the third inning.
Over two seasons against the Trojans Osborne has not allowed a run in 18 innings and has held Troy to just five total hits.
So complete was the domination Osborne displayed on the mound that Troy (16-13, 4-6) managed to get just one runner as far as second base, and that was Martz in the third when he was safe on the only error of the night by ULL.
“He was too good for us and that is 18 innings against the Trojans without us scoring,” Troy coach Bobby Pierce said. “You have to tip your cap to the kid. I really like him and his approach.”
Dickinson was not as good as his counterpart on Friday, but after giving up four runs in the third inning, he settled down and allowed just two more hits the rest of the way. He walked one and struck out one in the first complete game for a Troy pitcher since 2008.
“Andrew Dickinson, other than the third inning, was pretty good himself,” Pierce said. “He held them to a couple of bloop hits after the big third. He really settled in and gave us a good outing.”
Besides the two-run homer by Keefer, who had three of ULL's eight hits, extending his hitting streak to 22 games, ULL got a two-run homer from Jordan Poirrier in the third.
The Trojans, who have never won a Sun Belt series from ULL, will try to even the series on Saturday when sophomore Tyler Ray (4-2, 4.67) takes the mound against ULL junior left-hander T.J. Geith (2-1, 5.01)
“They know they got it stuck to them tonight, they know they have to bounce back and try to do something early in tomorrow's game,” Pierce said of his team. “They just have to go play and try to get something done offensively. We'll need a great start out of Tyler tomorrow against their tough left-hander.”
The first pitch on Saturday night is scheduled for 6 p.m.
