Troy University Athletics
Troy University
18-18, 5-8
Western Kentucky
19-16, 7-7
Troy Uses Five-Run Eighth Inning to Down WKU
4/12/2014 10:20:00 PM | Baseball
TROY, Ala. – David Hall hit a 2-RBI single with one out in the eighth inning to break a 6-6 tie and lift Troy to an 11-6 win over Western Kentucky on Saturday at Riddle-Pace Field. The win evens the three-game series with the rubber match set for a 1 p.m. start on Sunday.
Troy (18-18, 5-8 SBC) led 6-1 heading to the seventh when Western Kentucky (19-16, 7-7) swung the momentum in its favor. Anderson Miller walked to start the inning before starter Shane McCain got a ground ball for the first out. Hilltopper outfielder David Simmons then launched his second home run of the game over the wall in right field. Regan Flaherty later doubled home Leiff Clarkson to pull WKU to within two, 6-4.
In the eighth, reliever Marc Skinner surrendered a single to start the frame and one batter later, Miller went deep to right field to tie the game. Skinner (3-1) would earn the victory.
The Trojans wasted little time retaking the lead in the eighth. With the bases loaded and one out, Hall hit a full-count fastball back up the middle scoring Ali Knowles and Clay Holcomb handing Troy the lead for good. Jo-El Bennett and Nick Masonia were hit by pitches in consecutive at bats plating another run. The Trojans would score two more runs, one each on ground balls by Trevin Hall and Tyler Vaughn. William Shell would pitch a scoreless ninth to close the game.
Troy got on the board first when Holcomb, who doubled to start the game and has led off seven of the last 12 games with a hit, scored on Garrett Pitts triple down the left field line. David Hall would later push Pitts across with a single. Adam Tewksbury got in on the action with an RBI double to score Trevin Hall in the fourth. David Hall would drive in two more runs on a single later in the frame.
Despite the 17 combined runs, the play of the game was a catch by Ali Knowles in the third inning. With two outs and two runners on base, Western Kentucky's Scott Wilcox lofted a tailing fly ball down the left field line. The ball carried into the Troy bullpen where Knowles extended his glove hand just as he made contact with fence. Knowles gloved the ball and flipped over the fence for the final out, which received a standing ovation from the home crowd.
David Hall finished the game 4-for-5 with five RBIs and is now batting .481 (26-for-54) with 15 RBIs in Sun Belt Conference. It was Hall's second five-RBI game of the year and his team-leading 14th multi-hit game. Troy improves to 15-0 on the season when leading after eight innings.
Holcomb was 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Pitts and Masonia finished with two hits each.
McCain tossed seven innings allowing four runs on seven hits in the no-decision. He has now pitched at least six innings in his last 10 starts.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Skinner, Marc (3-1)
L: Glasscock, Tate (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Flaherty, Regan 1 ; Clarkson, Leiff 1
HR: Miller, Anderson 1 ; Simmons, David 2
RBI: Flaherty, Regan 1 ; Miller, Anderson 2 ; Simmons, David 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Church, Ryan 1 ; Miller, Anderson 2 ; Simmons, David 2 ; Clarkson, Leiff 1
HBP: Simmons, David 1
Batting:
2B: Holcomb, Clay 1 ; Masonia, Nick 1 ; Tewksbury, Adam 1
3B: Pitts, Garrett 1
RBI: Pitts, Garrett 1 ; Hall, David 5 ; Masonia, Nick 1 ; Hall, Trevin 1 ; Tewksbury, Adam 1
SH: Vaughn, Tyler 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Holcomb, Clay 3 ; Knowles, Ali 1 ; Pitts, Garrett 2 ; Nixon, Jakob 1 ; Bennett, Jo-El 1 ; Masonia, Nick 1 ; Hall, Trevin 1 ; Tewksbury, Adam 1
SB: Holcomb, Clay 1 ; Nixon, Jakob 1
HBP: Holcomb, Clay 1 ; Bennett, Jo-El 1 ; Masonia, Nick 1 ; Hall, Trevin 1
