Crane Leads Troy to Victory in Game One

Friday, March 9

Troy, Ala.

6:00 PM

Troy University

9-5

Gardner-Webb

10-4

Gardner-Webb

Troy

3/9/2018 9:30:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Jace Sanders

TROY, Alabama – Andrew Crane struck out six and scattered just two hits through six innings to will Troy to a 6-4 victory in the series opener with Gardner-Webb at Riddle-Pace Field Friday night.

Crane (2-1) allowed just four base runners in the start – two hits and two walks – and gave up just one run to give the Trojans (9-5) their ninth win of the season.

Troy scored in five of the first six innings and all nine starters recorded a hit in the game – the first time since 2015 against Texas State. Five different Trojans turned in multi-hit performances – led by Matt Sanders and Joey Denison with three apiece.

Sanders finished 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored, while Denison went 3-for-4 with a double and his 22^nd RBI of the season. The two seniors are tied for the team-lead with seven multi-hit games this season.

Newcomer Cole Prestegard also aided the Trojan offensive attack with two RBIs as a part of a 2-for-5 night. Rigsby Mosley and Sadler Goodwin rounded out the multi-hit crew for Troy.

CJ Carter (2) picked up his second save in as many games by striking out the side to slam the door shut on the Runnin' Bulldogs (10-4) in the ninth inning.

Gardner-Webb sputtered early but cut the game close on a Mickey Dugan three-RBI triple in the top of the seventh inning. Landon Mitchell (2-2) suffered the loss, giving up five runs on 12 hits in five innings of work.

Quotable – Troy head coach Mark Smartt
"Andrew (Crane) looked much more like himself. He was really good tonight. Really proud of the win, we did a good job swinging the bat. It's always good when all nine of your starters get a hit."

"I felt really good," starter Andrew Crane said. "My arm felt good, but mentally I was more locked in tonight than I have been. Tonight really gave me a little extra confidence headed into conference play."

"Our approach tonight was a lot better tonight," Cole Prestegard said about the hot Trojan bats. "We were waiting for good pitches and making good swings to rack up those hits."

Sound "Smartt" with Your Friends
With an RBI in Friday's contest, Joey Denison has driven in at least one run in each of the last seven games – with 15 total RBIs over that stretch. He ranked eighth nationally in the category coming in to the weekend.

Noteworthy
• Matt Sanders singled in the first to once again stretch his career-long and team-best hitting streak to 22 games, dating back to last season.

• Drew Frederic swiped second in the first to record his seventh stolen base of the season – he's a perfect seven for seven on the year in the category.

• For the first time since April 26, 2015, all nine Trojan starters hit safely in the game with five multi-hit performances.

• Speedsters Brandon Lockridge and Drew Frederic each swiped two bases each in the game. The two are tied for the team lead with eight and both ranked in the top 50 nationally in stolen bases entering the series.

• Troy recorded 16 hits Friday night, the most in a single game by the Trojans since April 29, 2017, when they put up 19 hits in the series finale at then defending national champ Coastal Carolina.

On Deck
Troy and Gardner-Webb will play a doubleheader to wrap up the series starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The Trojans will send RHP Daren Osby and LHP Max Newton to the mound for the starts in the two matchups.