Troy Baseball Travels to Pensacola for Cox Diamond Invitational

TROY, Alabama – The Troy University baseball team will hit the road for the first time in the 2015 season as it heads to Pensacola, Fla., for the Cox Diamond Invitational. The Trojans will face Saint Louis on Friday at 3 p.m., North Florida on Saturday at 3 p.m., and Nicholls on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. All three games will be played at Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.

Live stats for the three games as well as Live Audio for Friday and Sunday's games can be found on TroyTrojans.com. WTBF 94.7 FM will carry the games on Friday and Sunday, while Saturday's contest will air on WTBF 970 AM.

The Troy University Alumni Association Emerald Coast and Pensacola chapters will host an alumni tailgate on Saturday from 12:30-2:30 p.m. at Nick's Boathouse (455 W. Main Street) near Pensacola Bayfront Stadium.

Troy took three of four games from Northwestern State on opening weekend. As a team, the Trojans enter the Cox Diamond Invitational batting .315 and a Sun Belt Conference-best 2.00 ERA. Freshman Corey Childress and junior Grant Bennett each tossed gems in their debuts. In becoming the first freshman to start on opening day for the Trojans, Childress pitched seven scoreless innings allowing just two hits. Bennett tossed six scoreless innings in the third game of the series; he struck out eight.

Freshman shortstop Matt Sanders opened his Troy career in style, going 10-for-19 with seven RBIs and five runs scored in his first four games. David Hall collected multiple hits in three of the four contests and enters the weekend with a .412 average.

Troy will face a left-handed starter for the first time this season on Friday as Saint Louis sends junior Josh Moore (0-1, 6.75) to the mound. Moore pitched four innings in the Billikens season opener against Pittsburgh; he allowed three earned runs and struck out four in the team's 18-1 loss. The Trojans will counter with Childress (1-0, 0.00), who is looking for his second win of the young season.

Right-hander Bryan Baker (0-0, 10.81) is slated to get the start for North Florida on Saturday. Baker started in the Osprey's 16-11 victory over VMI on Saturday. Bennett (1-0, 0.00) will take the ball for the Trojans.

Sunday's match will also feature a pair of righties as Nicholls' Justin Sinibaldi (1-0, 0.00) and Troy's Tucker Simpson (0-1, 20.25) square off.

Troy is 15-7 combined against its three opponents this weekend. The Trojans swept Saint Louis in a three-game series in 2007, split two games in Troy against North Florida in 2010 and beat Nicholls in the Wiregrass Baseball Classic in Dothan in 2004.

For more information on Troy baseball, visit TroyTrojans.com or follow the team on Twitter at @TroyTrojansBSB.

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Players Mentioned

Grant Bennett

Corey Childress

David Hall

Matt Sanders

Tucker Simpson