Trojans Drop Two to North Texas

Saturday, April 28

Troy, Ala.

1:00 p.m.

Troy University

University of North Texas

4/28/2012 5:49:00 PM | Softball

By: Matt Mays

Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score

TROY, Ala. – The Troy softball team dropped both games on Saturday's doubleheader to North Texas, falling in game one, 3-0, and in game two, 4-1.

Ashley Rainey and Jaycee Affeldt threw well for the Trojans, but Ashley Kirk and Brittany Simmons combined to give up just one run over 14 innings for the Mean Green.

The Trojans (31-19, 10-11) picked up just two hits in game one off of Kirk and Simmons and got six off Simmons in game two while North Texas (22-24-1, 12-10-1) picked up nine and eight hits, respectively.

The Trojans and Mean Green conclude their series on Sunday with a single game at 11:00 a.m. That contest will mark Senior Day as the Trojan will honor their five seniors prior to the game.

For more information on Troy Athletics, be sure to visit TroyTrojans.com. The Trojans can also find Troy on Twitter at @TroyAthletics or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TroyAthletics.

GAME ONE – North Texas 3, Troy 0

Ashley Kirk threw a gem for the Mean Green as she gave up two hits in 6.0 innings with five strikeouts and three walks. Kirk (9-11) held the Trojans hitless through 3.2 before Hannah Renn's bunt single in the fourth inning.

Ashley Rainey (17-10) was tagged with another tough luck loss as she gave up three runs, two earned, over a complete game with four strikeouts and just one walk. For the fifth time this season, the Trojans were shutout in a game that Rainey was tagged with the loss.

Brooke Foster was 4-for-4 for the Mean Green with two doubles and two RBI.

Kirk and Rainey cruised through four innings before North Texas broke open a scoreless game with a single score in the fifth. Lesley Hirsch started things with a leadoff double and came home on Foster's RBI double to give the Mean Green at 1-0 lead.

The Trojans threatened to score in the sixth after two, two-out walks put runners on first and second base. Hayden Gann hit the ball hard for a third time in the game, but for the third time it was right at somebody and the Trojans moved to the seventh trailing 1-0.

The Mean Green used two more doubles and a Troy error in the seventh inning to add two more runs and put the game away, 3-0.

Sarah Shields reached on a leadoff single in the seventh to chase Kirk for Brittany Simmons, but that was the extent of the Trojans threat as Simmons picked up her second save of the season.

GAME TWO – North Texas 4, Troy 1

Troy fell victim to another good pitching performance as Simmons (10-10) threw a complete game, giving up one run on six hits with three strikeouts.

Jaycee Affeldt (9-8) threw six innings for Troy, giving up four runs, three earned on six hits with two strikeouts and four walks. Sarah Thomas threw the final inning for the Trojans.

Shields had two hits for the Trojans while three different players had two hits for North Texas. Kacie McAllister, in her first action in over a month, reached base three times for Troy.

For the second straight game, North Texas scored first with a single run in the second inning. Ashley McCarroll got things started with a single and moved to third after a single and a ground out. Hirsch then hit a rocket to Taylor Smartt at third that the sophomore couldn't haul in, giving Hirsch an RBI single.

Troy evened the game up with a score of their own in the third inning. McAllister got things started by reaching base on an error. She moved to second on Smartt's sacrifice fly and third on Sarah Harris' single. Renn then delivered an RBI single to score McAllister and tied the game at 1-1.

The Mean Green retook the lead with two runs in the fifth inning thanks in large part to a leadoff walk. The runner moved to second on a ground out and third on a bunt single before a Troy error allowed North Texas to retake the lead 2-1.

North Texas added another run on a squeeze bunt just in front of home plate to score a runner from third and give the Mean Green a 3-1 lead.

Troy had a chance to cut into the lead in the sixth inning as Michelle Hewett doubled with two outs. Shields singled to right field, but Hewett was thrown out at the plate to end the inning and move the game to the seventh with the score 3-1.

North Texas added a single run in the top of the seventh to make it 4-1 before McAllister led off the bottom half with a single. However, the Trojans were unable to pick up the run as they fell 4-1.