Four-Run Eighth Propels Troy Past Georgia State

Saturday, March 31

Troy, Ala.

1:00 PM

Troy University

19-9, 5-4

Georgia State

13-14, 2-6

Georgia State

Troy

Four-Run Eighth Propels Troy Past Georgia State

3/31/2018 4:37:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Jace Sanders

TROY, Alabama – Troy strung together four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to effectively put away Georgia State and take the Sun Belt series with an 8-2 win Saturday at Riddle-Pace Field.

Freshman Manning Early drove in half of Troy's (19-9, 5-4) runs in that eighth inning on one swing of the bat – a no-doubt homer over the tall wall in right. Early finished the game 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Daren Osby (4-0) improved on his undefeated record with seven solid innings on the rubber, giving up just two runs and striking out seven batters. Osby handed the ball over to Lance Johnson (1) in the eighth, who was able to shut the door on the Panthers (13-14, 2-6) to earn his first save of 2018.

The Trojans' biggest contributions at the plate came from Drew Frederic and Brandon Lockridge.

Frederic put Troy on the board in the first with a solo shot to left field – his second round-tripper of the series. He went 3-for-5 to lead all Trojan batters in the game. Meanwhile, Lockridge turned in his 15^th career multi-RBI game with two runs driven in on two hits on the day.

Georgia State cut it close in the seventh inning, drawing within two runs of Troy but stranded two costly runners on in the frame. Brandon Bell led the Panthers offensively with a 2-for-5 day that included an RBI.

Starter Jake Rogers (3-3) took the loss after allowing four runs on five hits and four walks around four strikeouts in four innings of work.

Quotable – Troy head coach Mark Smartt
"Daren (Osby) was great today. He got into some trouble early but was able to settle in and give us several quality innings on the mound. We took advantage of our chances today and were able to get runs in that we've been leaving out there recently. I'm proud of our club for winning this series at home and we're looking forward to Wednesday night."

Sound "Smartt" with your Friends
Coming into Saturday's game, Troy was 0-2 in conference series finales with losses to Little Rock and Louisiana in its previous two tries. However, with the win the Trojans improve to 4-3 in series finales this season.

Noteworthy
• Junior outfielder Brandon Lockridge turned in his 51^st career multi-hit game for the Trojans. He also drove in two runs for his 15^th career game with multiple RBIs.

• Drew Frederic hit two home runs in the series, a two-run jack to dead center in game one and a solo shot Saturday. He had just one previous homer in his career coming into the weekend.

• Manning Early's eighth-inning blast was the second of the freshman's career. He became the eighth Trojan this season to reach a double-digit RBI total.

On Deck
Troy will head north to meet long-time foe Jacksonville State in the 142^nd rendition of the rivalry. First pitch from Jacksonville is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday.