Troy Wins Series with Offensive Explosion

Sunday, May 15

Monroe, LA

1:00 pm

Troy University

University of Louisiana at Monroe

Photo by: Kevin Glackmeyer

5/15/2011 3:57:14 PM | Baseball

By: Taylor Bryan

BOX SCORE

MONROE – For the second straight game, Troy trailed heading into the middle innings, but unlike Saturday night, the Trojans got the big hit and rallied for a 13-4 win and the series on Sunday afternoon at Warhawk Field.

The victory, combined with a tie by FIU, once again gave the Trojans (37-15, 19-8) the out-right lead in the Sun Belt standings with three games to play.

ULM (23-27, 8-19) wasted no time taking a lead. The Warhawks used five first inning hits, including a two-run home run by Joey Rapp to take a 3-0 advantage after one.

The big inning forced Troy head coach Bobby Pierce to use a quick hook on starter Ryan Sorce. The Pace, Fla.-native lasted just a third of an inning and allowed three runs. Sorce gave way to Thomas Austin who completed two innings before being removed in the third for Trojans closer Tyson Workman.

Workman entered with one down in the third and gave up a base hit and a wild pitch that let an inherited runner cross the plate to push ULM's lead to 4-0 before getting a strike out and a fly ball to end the frame.

Tyler Hannah led off the fourth inning with a double high of the wall in left for Troy's first hit. The Trojans hit into three straight groundouts to strand Hannah and end the inning.

The Trojans started the fifth with a base hit by Todd McRae, followed by a four pitch walk to Logan Pierce. Eighth place hitter Hayden Hillyer tried for the sacrifice, but bunted back to the pitcher, who then turned and threw out McRae at third for the first out.

Daniel Peterson was next, and he singled to left to load the bases. The order moved back to Workman at the top, and he walked to push across Troy's first run and bring up Hannah. The junior third baseman responded with his second double, a bases-clearing rip to left centerfield that tied the game at four.

Prichard took the first pitch of the sixth inning over the wall in right to give the Trojans a 5-4 lead. Then after two straight outs by the Trojans, Hillyer reached on an infield hit. The freshman moved to second on a wild pitch, then third on another infield single – this one from Peterson.

With runners on the corners, ULM starter Drew Granier bounced another throw to the plate to allow Hillyer to cross home. The wild pitch moved Peterson to second and following Workman being hit by a pitch, Hannah answered with his third double in three innings to send two more runs home and give the Trojans an 8-4 lead.

The inning wasn't done though and Adam Bryant's seven home run of the season – to left off reliever Luke Briley widened the Troy advantage to 10-4 as the game moved to the bottom of the sixth inning.

Granier took the loss for ULM to drop to 3-5 on the season. The big rally took Sorce off the hook for the Troy. The Trojan bullpen tossed 8.2 innings and scattered eight hits, allowing only one run.

Workman and Hannah were again on base to start the eighth inning, and both scored after a throwing error on Briley. The right-hander attempted to field a swinging bunt by Bryant and threw wide of the first baseman Rapp.

The errant throw to first allowed Bryant to go to second and both Workman and Hannah to score. A pair of fly outs to right scored Bryant, with the senior crossing the plate on a sacrifice fly by Prichard to make the Troy advantage 13-4.

Hannah finished the day 3-for-4 with five RBI. Bryant and Prichard each drove in a pair of runs in the win.

After recording two outs in the eighth, Workman was lifted for Nate Hill, who after giving up a single to Joey Cesario, induced a fly out to left by Shane Ardoin to end the inning. Hill pitched the final 1.1 innings to finish out the game.

Workman (now 4-3) worked a career-high 5.1 innings out of the bullpen and allowed just five hits with four strikeouts. He threw a career-high 86 pitches en route to earning his fourth win of the season.

Troy is in action next on Tuesday at home in the final home game of the 2011 regular season for the Trojans. First pitch is set for 6 pm.