Troy Falls in Rubber Game at Arkansas State

Sunday, May 11

Jonesboro, Ark.

1:00pm

Troy University

22-29, 9-17

Arkansas State

29-22, 17-10

Troy

Arkansas State

Photo by: Joshua Thurston

Troy Falls in Rubber Game at Arkansas State

5/11/2014 5:14:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Wes Johnson

Box Score

JONESBORO, Ark. – The Troy University baseball team fell to Arkansas State 8-5 in the rubber game of a three-game series on Sunday at Tomlinson Stadium.

The Trojans (22-29, 9-17 SBC) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. After Clay Holcomb and Jakob Nixon walked to open the game, David Hall singled home Holcomb and Nick Masonia put down a picture perfect bunt to plate Nixon.

Hall would strike again with an RBI single in the fourth for his second hit. The junior designated hitter would finish 2-for-5 and is now batting .568 (21-37) with 14 RBIs and 11 runs scored in Sun Belt Conference series finales this season.

Arkansas State (29-22, 17-10) would tie the game in the bottom of the first with a pair of ground balls with the bases loaded off Troy starter Levi Tate. Tate would only make it two innings and surrender five runs – four earned – on just two hits. Troy committed three errors defensively in the game.

In the third, Tate hit a batter, allowed a single and walked a man before Marc Skinner took over out of the pen. The first batter Skinner faced, Matt Burgess, singled to right field scoring the go-ahead run. The Red Wolves went on the score five runs in the inning – two on a Joe Schrimpf single – and take a 7-3 lead.

Troy took its final lead of the game in the top of the third when Trevin Hall was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Unfortunately, the Trojans were unable to take further advantage and left three men standing on base. Troy left 10 men were stranded for the game.

The Trojans pulled to within two runs in the fifth on Peyton Fuller's RBI single. Ali Knowles walked to lead off the frame, and then stole second before scoring.

Skinner pitched six solid innings of relief for the Trojans. The freshman, who leads the Sun Belt Conference in ERA, would allow three unearned runs. Skinner leads the Trojans in appearances (28), innings pitched by a reliever (56.0) and strikeouts by a reliever (59).

Garrett Pitts and David Hall collected two hits each for the Trojans. Jakob Nixon had his 10-game hitting streak snapped after a 0-for-4 performance but his first inning walk extended his reached base streak to 12 games.

The Trojans will wrap up the regular season with a three-game series against South Alabama at Riddle-Pace Field. The series is set to start on Thursday at 6 p.m. Troy currently sits ninth in the Sun Belt Conference standings and needs to finish in the top eight to qualify for the conference tournament set for next week.