Troy University Athletics
Troy University
Ball State University
Trojans Start Weekend With Two Comeback Wins
2/24/2012 7:02:00 PM | Softball
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Despite being down in both games, the Troy softball team fought back for two comeback wins against the Ball State Cardinals and the East Tennessee State Buccaneers, Friday afternoon at the Frost Classic Inspired by Memorial.
Troy (9-1) faced a two-run deficit against Ball State (2-3) and East Tennessee State (1-9), but would battle to hold on to both victories as the Trojans downed the Cardinals 9-4 in the day's first game. In the second game, tied at 9-9, Troy would plate three runs in the top of the seventh to take a 12-9 win over ETSU.
Troy will face the Cleveland State Vikings and Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles tomorrow at the second day of the Frost Classic Inspired by Memorial.
The Trojans take on Cleveland State at 1:15 p.m. and will face Tennessee Tech at 3:30 p.m.
Make sure to check back with TroyTrojans.com for the latest updates on Troy softball. For updates on Troy softball on Twitter follow @TroyAthletics, @MattMaysSID, or @iamtylerpigg.
TROY 9, BALL STATE 4
Despite just recording four hits in the first game of the day, the Trojans would rally to beat the Ball State Cardinals for the second time in less than a week. Troy would take advantage of 11 Ball State walks and three errors to come back from a 2-0 deficit, to knock off the Cardinals, 9-4.
In Game One of the Frost Classic Inspired by Memorial, Ball State jumped out early on the Trojans. The Cardinals put together four hits in the bottom of the first, including doubles by Amanda Montalto and Audrey Bickel, to give Ball State a 3-0 lead after one inning of play.
Troy would add a run in the top of the second with a Kelly Luquette fielder's choice that drove in Taylor Smartt to cut the Ball State lead to 3-1.
Starting pitcher Jaycee Affeldt would hold Ball State at bay through the next two innings allowing no runs, striking out seven Cardinals.
In the top of the fifth, Troy would take advantage of three walks by Ball State starting pitcher Audrey Workman tand three Ball State errors, two coming on one play to put the Trojans up 6-3.
Affeldt would hit a hard-hit ground ball right to Ball State shortstop Jessica Craft that went through her legs and allowed Hayden Gann to score. Ball State left fielder Jennifer Gilbert let the hard hit grounder bounce off her glove allowing Taylor Smartt and Ashley Rainey to score give Troy its first lead of the game.
The Cardinals would tack on one run in the bottom of the fifth, when Jessica Rager singled up the middle to score Amanda Montalto, who led off the inning with a double to cut the Troy lead to 6-4.
Sarah Thomas would take control in the circle, as the freshman pitched three scoreless innings, giving up three hits and striking out four, while picking up her second save of the season.
In the top of the sixth, senior Kelly Luquette's RBI double to right center would give Troy a 7-4 lead.
Troy would tack on two runs in the top of the seventh, after Hannah Renn walked with the bases loaded with one out to bring in pinch runner Chelsea Eytel to give Troy a 8-4 lead.
The Trojans would add on one more run in the frame, after Michelle Hewett's RBI infield single to score Sarah Shields.
Affeldt would pick up her third win of the season, pitching four innings, giving up eight hits and four runs, while striking out seven Cardinals.
Hewett led the Trojans at the plate going 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs and a run scored. Smartt was 1-fo-1 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Renn was 1-for-2 with a run scored. and a RBI.
TROY 12, ETSU 9
There was no lack of offensive firepower in the Friday's second game, as Troy and ETSU would combine for 13 hits a piece in Trojans'12-9 win over the Buccaneers.
In the top of the first, catcher Hannah Renn would draw a leadoff walk to start the game and would later score on a passed ball to give Troy an early 1-0 lead.
ETSU would answer withs two runs in the bottom of the first with a Haley Thompson RBI double to score Annie Martin, who walked to start the inning.
The Buccaneers would take advantage of two Troy errors after Sam Lower reached on an error by third baseman Taylor Smartt. Thompson would score on the error by Smartt, while Lower would advance to second on a throwing error by outfielder Kacie McAllister.
After picking up the win in the first game of the day, Jaycee Affeldt roped a double in the second inning that would score pinch runner Madison Rich to tie the game at 2-2.
In the bottom of the third, ETSU would score two more runs in the bottom of the third inning take advantage of a Troy error and piecing together three hits to take back the lead, 4-2.
The Trojans' bats would heat up, despite the cold and windy day in Chattanooga, in the fourth inning as senior Hayden Gann would lead off the inning with a line drive single to center.
After a wild pitch that allowed Gann to advance to second and walk to Bailey Blake, freshman Ashley Rainey would hit a ground ball through the right side that would roll all the way to the wall for a two-RBI triple to tie the game at 4-4. Rainey would finish the day 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs.
After a Jaycee Affeldt RBI single that scored Rainey to put the Trojans on top 5-4, senior Sarah Shields belted her third home run of the season to right center to extend the Trojans' lead to 7-4.
Two batters later, senior outfielder Michelle Hewett would blast a two-run home to right to give the Trojans a 9-4 lead.
The Buccaneers would fight back getting three runs in the fifth and two more runs in the sixth to chase Troy starter Ashley Rainey who pitched 5.1 innings, giving up eight runs, only three of which were earned, to tie the game at 9-9 going to the top of the seventh.
Troy senior infielder Nikki Hollett led off the seventh with a first pitch double to left center field that rattled off the wall. Gann would follow with an RBI single to right field, which scored Hollett to put the Trojans back in the lead, 10-9.
Bailey Blake would use a piece of clutching hitting to notch her first hit of the season, with a line drive RBI single to left field that plated Gann to push the Troy lead to 11-9.
Troy's Ashley Rainey would record her third hit of the day with a RBI double that would drive in Blake to give Troy a 12-9 lead.
Junior Michaela Hamilton would finish out the game in the circle, picking up her second win of the season by going the final 1.2 innings allowing just one run which was unearned.
Rainey led Troy at the plate by going 3-for-4 with a triple and double, along with three RBIs. Freshman Jaycee Affeldt was 2-for-3 with two RBIs including a double. Renn was 1-for-2 with a triple, a run scored, and a stolen base.
Troy will face the Cleveland State Vikings and Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles tomorrow at the second day of the Frost Classic Inspired by Memorial.
The Trojans take on Cleveland State at 1:15 p.m. and will face Tennessee Tech at 3:30 p.m.
