Big First Inning Leads Trojans to 2-0 Start

Friday, February 11

Birmingham, AL

6:00 p.m.

Troy University

Alabama A&M University

Big First Inning Leads Trojans to 2-0 Start

2/11/2011 6:13:22 PM | Softball

Trojans scored six runs in the first inning against Alabama A&M

By: Travis Jarome

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Troy University softball team capped off an explosive opening day in the 2011 season, blasting Alabama A&M in the second game of the Easton/Hibbett All-Alabama Classic 17-0 on a chilly Friday night at Liberty Park.

The Trojans finished off the opening day scoring 26 runs and blasting seven home runs against the Bulldogs and Alabama State. The Trojans also collected 24 hits and reached base 41 times on the day against the two teams. Defensively, the Trojans allowed just one run to cross the plate on the day, giving up just six hits in 10 innings of play.

Junior Morgan Grove (Tampa, Fla./Tallahassee CC) made her collegiate debut Friday night against Alabama A&M, and with the exception of one inning, it was a night to remember for the junior.

Grove (1-0) finished the day allowing no runs off of three hits, striking out four batters along the way and throwing 13 first-pitch strikes. She only ran into trouble two times during the contest with runners at third in both the second and fourth, with the fourth inning ending with a double play.

Troy wasted little time in the second game of the day, as they scored in the top of the first inning for the second straight game.

Junior Michelle Hewett (Alford, Fla./Chipola JC) reached base for the fifth consecutive time in the top of the first, drawing a walk against Alabama A&M starter Vanessa Kersten. On the first pitch to the next better, Kelly Luquette (St. Amant, La./St. Amant HS), Hewett stole second and advanced all the way around home as the throw from catcher Jasmin Riley hit Hewett in the helmet and bounced all the way into left centerfield.

Luquette then reached on a two-strike double to right centerfield, scoring on a Nikki Hollett (Melbourne, Australia/Wesley College) single to left. Following the Hollett single to put the Trojans up 2-0 in the first, Hayden Gann (Hoover, Ala./Hoover HS) walked and Sarah Harris (Surrey, BC, Canada/Semiahoo Secondary) singled to center to load the bases.

A passed ball on Alabama A&M plated Hollett, moving Gann and Harris up to second and third. Freshman Taylor Smartt (Troy, Ala./Charles Henderson HS) picked up her first collegiate hit and RBI, as she connected on a double down the left field line to score Gann and Harris to put the Trojans up 5-0. With two outs in the inning, Sarah Shields (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central HS) picked up her first hit of the season, a single to center, plating Smartt for a six-run lead.

The Trojans added another run in the second to go up seven as Harris drove home Hollett with a sacrifice fly to left field. It was made possible when Hollett hit a drive to center that was mishandled by Alabama A&M centerfielder LaQuessha Poe, allowing Hollett to advance all the way to third.

Troy (2-0) averted disaster in the bottom of the second after Alabama A&M loaded the bases on Groves. After the Bulldogs loaded the bases with one out, Grove struck out LaQuessha Poe for the second out before getting Fayesha Ward to pop up to Shields at second to end the inning.

The Trojans came right back in the top of the third inning to basically put the game away as Shields started the inning with a double to left. Jordan McAllister (Dothan, Ala./Gulf Coast CC) came on to pinch run for Shields and promptly stole third with no one out. After her sister Kacie was retired for the first out, McAllister scored after second baseman Fayesha Ward bobbled the ball for an 8-0 lead.

Troy then connected for back-to-back home runs for the second time in as many games when Luquette connected on her first home run of her career to left, scoring Hewett. That was followed by Hollett's second home run of the season to put the Trojans up 12-0 in the third. The Trojans tacked on another when Shields knocked home Harris after her double with two outs, and the scoring ended in the third inning when Kacie McAllister (Dothan, Ala./Dothan HS) collected her first collegiate RBI when she plated Randi Ashworth (Crosby, Texas/Tallahassee CC) after a walk to put the Trojans up 14-0.

They weren't through with the scoring as Hollett and Gann went back-to-back for the second time on the day, and the Trojans third time in doing so on the opening day. Hollett hit a solo home run to left centerfield that cleared both fences as the Alabama A&M outfielders didn't even turn to watch the ball sail out. That was followed by a shot from Gann that cleared halfway to the back fence in left center on the very next pitch to give the Trojans a 16-0 lead.

Senior Ashley Adkins (Tampa, Fla./Robinson HS) capped off the scoring for the Trojans when she knocked in Luquette on an infield single in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Shields finished the day with a perfect 4-for-4 appearance with a double and three singles. Hollett finished 3-for-5 with two home runs, three RBI and four runs scored. Luquette and Harris each finished with a pair of hits in the contest.

Troy returns to action on Saturday against Auburn and UAB in the second day of the Easton/Hibbett All-Alabama Classic.

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