Troy University Athletics
Troy University
29-21, 14-12
ULM
12-39, 6-20
Jackson Cofer’s Walk-Off Homer Lifts Troy Past ULM
5/13/2017 6:32:00 PM | Baseball
TROY, Alabama – Jackson Cofer blasted a two-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to push Troy past ULM, 10-9, in game two of the conference series Saturday at Riddle-Pace Field.
The Trojans (29-21, 14-12 Sun Belt) trailed by three runs in the bottom of the eighth before battling back to take the game and the series in dramatic fashion.
Down a run in the ninth inning, Chase Smartt led off with a single through the left side of the infield – he finished 3-for-4 with a home run. Cofer then missed two sacrifice bunt attempts before barreling up a 1-2 pitch and blasting a no-doubter deep over the 27-foot wall in right field.
?? Jackson Cofer with an absolute ?? over the 27-foot wall in right field for his second walk-off hit of the week! Troy wins 10-9! pic.twitter.com/3NzBdtQhEf
— Troy Baseball (@TroyTrojansBSB) May 13, 2017
Brandon Lockridge – 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored – pulled Troy within a run with a two-run homer of his own in the eighth inning off Anthony Herrera (1-5), who was saddled with the loss after allowing four runs on four hits in an inning of work.
This Brandon Lockridge guy is pretty good at this baseball thing ... Hits his fourth home run since Sunday with this 2-run shot in the 8th pic.twitter.com/a84BN9cd2P
— Troy Baseball (@TroyTrojansBSB) May 13, 2017
Matt Sanders and Justin Friend also turned in multi-hit games to spark the Trojan offense. Sanders finished 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored, while Friend ended 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI.
ULM (12-39, 6-20 Sun Belt) came out blazing, scoring nine runs in the first four innings before being held scoreless by Cory Gill, Lance Johnson and Corey Childress in the final five innings.
Troy's Gill struck out five and scattered only three hits before handing the ball over to Johnson, who worked a perfect eighth inning on the mound. Childress (3-3) earned the win for Troy after a shut down top of the ninth.
QUOTABLE
"I'm so proud of our guys," Troy head coach Mark Smartt said. "It was a hard fought win. I went to congratulate Cofer after the game and he apologized for missing the two bunts. He's a great kid and a great competitor. We've got to finish strong here at home tomorrow to carry us into this tough road stretch next week."
"I'm still shaking right now," Jackson Cofer said about the walk-off home run. "It's great to come through in that moment. I didn't want to go back in the dugout after missing those bunts. I knew he was going to give me something good to hit and I did what I could."
"Always believe no matter what the score is," reliever Cory Gill said about the comeback victory. "Our team has bought into that. It doesn't matter how much we're losing by, we're going to keep fighting."
SOUND "SMARTT" WITH YOUR FRIENDS
• Jackson Cofer's walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning was his second walk-off hit of the week. He ended Troy's 11-inning affair with Alabama State on Wednesday with a walk-off single to left field.
• Brandon Lockridge belted his sixth home run of the season and fourth since last Sunday with a 2-run shot in the bottom of the eighth inning. He finished the game 2-for-5 and has hit safely in 46-of-50 games this year and has multiple hits 26 different games.
• Chase Smartt homered in the fifth inning snapping a streak of 43 games and 164 at-bats without hitting a home run. It was the sophomore catcher's third home run of the season. Smartt finished the game 3-for-4 with a walk for his second 3-hit game of the weekend and his 10th multi-hit game of the season.
• Troy's three home runs in the game marked a new season high; the Trojans had homered twice in a game six times this season. Troy has now hit a home run in three consecutive games.
• Justin Friend had a pair of doubles in the game to push his season total to 12 and his career total to 18 … Friend now has 17 extra-base hits this season.
WHAT'S UP NEXT?
Troy will go for the series sweep on Sunday with first pitch set for 1 p.m; RHP Daren Osby (4-4, 4.67) will get the start. The Trojans will honor their seniors as well as all mothers before the game.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Childress, Corey (3-3)
L: Herrera, Anthony (1-5)
Batting:
2B: Francis, Turner 1 ; Hemphill, Spencer 2 ; Reynolds, Nathan 2
HR: Cox, Tyler 1
RBI: Herrera, Anthony 1 ; Francis, Turner 1 ; Hemphill, Spencer 2 ; Cox, Tyler 2 ; Bell, Chad 1 ; Reynolds, Nathan 2
SH: Harper, Cade 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Stone, Cade 1 ; Herrera, Anthony 1 ; Francis, Turner 2 ; Hemphill, Spencer 1 ; Cox, Tyler 1 ; Bell, Chad 1 ; Buckman, Blake 1 ; Reynolds, Nathan 1
Batting:
2B: Friend, Justin 2
HR: Lockridge, Brandon 1 ; Smartt, Chase 1 ; Cofer, Jackson 1
RBI: Lockridge, Brandon 2 ; Friend, Justin 1 ; Rogers, Mason 1 ; Smartt, Chase 1 ; Cofer, Jackson 4 ; Frederic, Drew 1
SF: Cofer, Jackson 1 ; Frederic, Drew 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sanders, Matt 2 ; Lockridge, Brandon 1 ; Friend, Justin 2 ; Davis, Trevor 2 ; Smartt, Chase 2 ; Cofer, Jackson 1
CS: Sanders, Matt 1
HBP: Sanders, Matt 1
