No. 18 Trojans Falter in Series Finale

Sunday, April 17

Murfreesboro, TN

1:00 pm

Troy University

Middle Tennessee State University

Photo by: Kevin Glackmeyer

4/17/2011 3:49:25 PM | Baseball

Troy Has Now Lost 4-of-5

By: Taylor Bryan

BOX SCORE

MURFREESBORO – Troy was shutout in the second-straight game and dropped its first series of the season with a 4-0 loss to Middle Tennessee in the rubber match on Sunday at Reese Smith Field.

The 18th-ranked Trojans (26-9, 11-4) were unable to score a run for the second straight meeting with MTSU and are mired in the middle of a string of 18 consecutive scoreless innings.

Troy threatened on multiple occasions, including two-on in both the sixth and eighth innings, could not come through with the timely base hit that had been so plentiful prior to the series with MTSU.

MTSU (12-24, 5-10) scored first for the third time in the series with a second inning RBI single by Johnny Thomas. The Trojans worked around two more hits and got a ground out to second by Ryan Ford to end the second inning trailing 1-0.

Troy starter Jimmy Hodgskin didn't issue his first free pass until one out in the 7th inning. Davis Pearce followed the walk with a single to left to end the day for the freshman from Windemere, Fla. Hodgskin (2-3) gave way to junior Tyson Workman, who got a ground ball and a double play on his first pitch to end the seventh with the Trojans still trailing 1-0.

Neither team would plate another run until the Blue Raiders added an insurance run with two out in the eighth on an RBI single by Hank Larue. His single to center plated Justin Guidry who had singled and stolen second base.

The Blue Raiders weren't finished in the 8th. The next batter, Matt Drake, took Workman deep for a two-run home run to right field to widen the Troy deficit to 4-0. The home run was the first surrendered by Workman this season in 14 games.

The Trojans got one on in the ninth, but could get nothing more.

Hayden Hillyer led the Trojans with a 3-for-3 day. LaRue had two hits for the Blue Raiders.

Eric Gilley (3-3) put together the second straight scoreless performance for the Blue Raiders against Troy. The senior tossed 7.1 innings and scattered five hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

The Trojans are in action next on Tuesday at home against UAB. The game is the beginning of a five-game home stretch that includes another non-conference game on Wednesday with Alabama A&M and a weekend three-game set with WKU.