Troy University Athletics
Troy University
North Texas
Trojans Steal Opener from North Texas
4/17/2010 1:00:00 AM | Softball
TROY, Ala. - Thanks to a sixth inning that saw a combined four errors and three runs, Troy took a 2-1 win over North Texas to open a three game Sun Belt series at the Trojan Softball Complex.
Ashlyn Williams (17-15) was outstanding in the circle once again for the Trojans. The junior ace threw her 24th complete game of the season giving just one run that was unearned on just two hits.
She also struck out 14, giving her 320 K's on the season, setting her own single season school record from a year ago. The 14 strikeouts marks the 16th time this season that she has struck out double digit batters in one game.
"We got another super performance from Ashlyn tonight," head coach Melanie Davis said. "North Texas did a good job of battling with two strikes, but Ashlyn was able to notch 14 strikeouts and she deserves all the respect that the coaches in this area give her."
The top three hitters in Troy's lineup (Kala Moore, Rocky Paige and Nikki Hollett) each posted one hit on the day.
The Mean Green would get on the board first with a single score in the top of the sixth. Mariza Martinez started things off with a single down the first base line. After a sacrifice bunt moved her to second and a walk put a runner on first. A single to left field that got past that got past Sarah Harris allowed Martinez to score from first, but that was the extent of the damage.
Troy would respond in the bottom of the inning with two runs thanks to two North Texas errors with two errors. After a quick out, Moore got things started with an infield single. A groundout moved her to second but gave the Trojans two outs. The next batter, Hollett reached on an error by Mean Green third baseman Rebecca Waters which also moved Moore to third.
Cleanup batter Hayden Gann then hit a shallow fly ball to center that Martinez dropped, allowing Moore and pinch runner Kortney Cooper to score and give Troy a 2-1 lead that would hold through the seventh.
"One thing I can say is our team doesn't quit," Davis said. "They could've folded in the sixth but they found a way to capitalize on some opportunities."
Ashley Lail (10-5) went the distance for the Mean Green, giving up three hits and the two runs while striking out one and walking none.
The Trojans and Mean Green will continue their series with a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch from the Trojan Softball Complex is set for 1:00 p.m. Game one can be heard on either WTBF 94.7 FM or 970 AM with a 12:45 air time.
