Ray Complete Game Paces Troy

Friday, April 22

Riddle-Pace Field

6:00 pm

Troy University

Western Kentucky University

Photo by: Edward Fieder

4/22/2011 9:09:33 PM | Baseball

Trojans Earn 6-3 Win in Series Opener

By: Taylor Bryan

BOX SCORE

TROY – Badly needing a win in the series opener with WKU, No. 29 Troy turned to its staff ace and he delivered as the Trojans picked up a 6-3 victory on Friday night at Riddle-Pace Field.

Junior right-hander Tyler Ray showed exactly why he is one of the top pitchers in the Sun Belt Conference and the nation as he battled through some early difficulties to record his second complete game effort of the season – just the second of his career.

“Tonight was about Tyler Ray,” head coach Bobby Pierce said. “The guy managed that first inning when they had 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. He missed on a slider up and gave up a home run. He was able to get better as the game when on, but he had to call on his maturity, his competitiveness. To me the story was about Tyler taking us on his back.

“We got the break on the error they made in centerfield. I've got to give our guys credit for taking advantage of that mistake. It's a hard-fought series. It was a very intense game tonight and I'm sure it will be tomorrow.”

Ray gave up hits to the first two batters he faced and after two innings, he was facing a two-run deficit. The Hoover, Ala.-native then settled into a run of five consecutive scoreless innings, including a streak of nine straight retired batters.

“It was a struggle,” Ray said. “We knew coming in that we had been slumping and we haven't really been swinging the bats well. I got hit around a little bit there early. I knew it was only a matter of time before I settled in.

“Coach Pierce said something earlier in the dugout about my experience getting me out of that and he's right. Two years ago I get knocked out in the second and we lose 15-0, but I was able to settle down and we eventually had a little luck go our way.”

His only other damage was in the 8th when he surrendered a pair of hits with two outs that resulted in a run, but Ray regrouped and got the final four outs for the complete game effort.

In total, Ray tossed nine innings and held the Sun Belt's top scoring team to nine hits and three runs. He walked only one and struck out five. WKU entered the game hitting a league-best .315 and scoring 30 runs more than the second-best team (276-243).

“They are a great hitting team and I throw a lot of strikes, so they just came out hitting strikes,” Ray said. “I knew it was a matter of time. I knew that if they let me settle down, I was going to. I was fortunate to have a couple of balls go my way and get in a groove.”

Josh McDorman's solo shot that lead off the fifth inning ended a streak of 12 consecutive Trojans that had been retired by WKU starter Tanner Perkins after Adam Bryant's double that led off the game. The homer closed Troy to within a run, 2-1.

Perkins was charged with the loss after allowing six runs in 7.0 innings of work. He struck out six and walked three.

The momentum of the game turned and the Trojans caught a huge break when with two outs in the seventh inning WKU centerfielder Kes Carter dropped a routine fly ball from Boone Shear that allowed a pair of base runners to score. The error gave Troy its first lead of the night.

Ali Knowles followed up with a single up the middle to plate Shear. Next, Tyler Hannah singled home Knowles for one more and a bases loaded walk to Logan Pierce pushed across a fifth run in the seventh for Troy. In total, the Trojans sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning and led 6-2 as the game moved to the eighth.

WKU scored one in the eighth for the final margin.

Knowles paced the Trojans with a pair of hits to raise his team-best batting average to .373. Logan Robbins and Ryan Hutchison both had two hits for the Hilltoppers.

Game two of the series will begin at 6 pm on Saturday with Troy southpaw Ryan Sorce (4-3, 3.35) squaring off with WKU's Justin Hageman (6-3, 2.44).