Troy Drops Belmont in Five Innings

Friday, March 2

Oxford, Miss.

10:00 a.m.

Troy University

Belmont University

Photo by: Kevin Glackmeyer

3/2/2012 12:57:00 PM | Softball

By: Tyler Pigg

Box Score

OXFORD, Miss. – It only took five innings for the Troy softball team to win its first game at the Red and Blue Classic, as the Trojans took down Belmont, 10-2, Friday morning.

The Trojans pounded out 10 hits against the Bruins, as senior Michelle Hewett led Troy (12-2) with a 3-for-4 day at the plate with three runs scored and an RBI. Hewett's three hits extended the senior's hitting streak to eight games, the longest of the season by any Trojan.

Sophomore Kelly Luquette drove in three runs, as the sophomore was 1-fo-3 at the plate against Belmont (1-12).

In the circle, freshman Ashley Rainey surrendered just two runs on four hits to pick up her fourth victory and her third complete game of the year. In her outing, the Tuscaloosa, Ala. native struck out four, while walking just one batter.

In the top of the second, Troy got on the scoreboard first when Rainey drove in senior Sarah Shields, who led off the inning with an infield single. After Kacie McAllister reached base on a after being grazed by a Mia Vierra fastball, Hewett would reach base on an infield single that would drive in Rainey to give Troy a 2-0 lead.

Luquette would make the most the of her opportunity at the plate as the St. Amant, La. Native laced a single to right field to score both, McAllister and Hewett to put Troy's lead to 4-0.

Kat Hollingsworth would put Belmont on the board with an RBI double to left center to score Devon Schmidt, who was in to pinch run for Ashley Byars who led off the bottom of the second with a single down the right field line for the Bruins' first hit of the day.

With runners on second and third, Luquette would drive in her third run of the day, as the sophomore's fielder's choice would score McAllister give Troy a 6-1 lead. Hewett would come around to score as well as Luquette was caught in run down in between first and second, but the sophomore made it safely back to first.

After Luquette stole second and third, Hayden Gann would keep the inning alive for Troy as the senior ripped a 3-1 pitch into right center for a two-out RBI single to score Luquette and give the Trojans an 8-2 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, Belmont would get just one run off the bat of Ashley Byars, who hit a 1-1 pitch deep to left field to cut the Troy lead to 8-2.

Troy tacked on two more runs in the fifth as pinch hitter Jaycee Affeldt's two RBI single to right field drove in McAllister and Hewett, who both reached base on errors to put Troy on top, 10-2.

Rainey (4-1) would close out the game in the fifth, as the freshman got a ground out, a pop up, and then a strikeout to give Troy the win in five innings, the first five-inning win for the Trojans this season.

Both Gann and Sarah Shields were 2-for-3 at the plate for Troy, as the seniors scored a run and drove in a run a piece in the win. Despite going 0-2 at the plate, sophomore Kacie McAlliser scored three runs for the Trojans, as the Dothan, Ala. native reached base in all three of her plate appearances.

Troy takes on the host, Ole Miss, today at 4:45 p.m. at the Ole Miss Softball Complex. Live stats for that game will be on TroyTrojans.com. For updates on Twitter follow @iamtylerpigg, TroySball, and @TroyAthletics.