Troy Clinches Series, Falls in Finale

Friday, April 12

Statesboro, Ga.

4:30 PM

Troy University

31-13, 13-4

Georgia Southern

18-20, 4-11

Troy

Georgia Southern

4/13/2019 5:58:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score 3 Game One Box Score (PDF)Game Two Box Score (PDF)Game Three Box Score (PDF)

By: Troy Athletics Communications

STATESBORO, Georgia – Troy clinched its fourth consecutive Sun Belt series win with a pair of 6-1 wins before falling to Georgia Southern in the series finale, 5-3, Saturday afternoon at Eagle Field.

With Sun Belt series wins over Coastal Carolina, UT Arlington, Georgia State and Georgia Southern, the Trojans (32-14, 13-5 Sun Belt) have won four straight conference series for the first time since 2009.

Game One: Troy 6, Georgia Southern 1
Troy broke the program's longest win streak set in 1995 with its win over the Eagles (19-21, 5-12) in game one of the series.

The Trojans struck first in the top of the first inning with two runs off of singles by Madeline Porter and Bailey Taylor.

Troy added another pair of runs in the top of the second with hits by Katie Lively, Kelly Horne and Porter.

Georgia Southern answered with a run in the bottom of the second, but Troy added runs in the top of the third and fourth inning to give them a five-run advantage heading into the bottom of the seventh.

A lightning delay suspended play until Saturday with one out in the bottom of the seventh. Leanna Johnson closed out the game facing the last two batters, but Annie Willis (8-8) picked up the win scattering five hits and striking out four batters through six innings of work.

Rylee Waldrep (4-11) suffered the loss for Georgia Southern after allowing four runs off of five hits and walk.

Game Two: Troy 6, Georgia Southern 1
Back-to-back-to-back singles by Talia Truitt, Katie Webb and Kaylee Hussey scored a pair of runs for Troy in the top half of the first to give Troy the lead for good.

The game turned into a pitcher's duel as Leanna Johnson and Ashleigh Morton battled for the next five frames holding both sides scoreless.

The Trojans got back on the board adding four insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning capped off by a three-run long ball by Taylor, her fifth home run of the season.

The Eagles answered with a solo shot by Shayla Smith, but Johnson and the Trojan defense retired three batters to give Troy its 15^th consecutive victory.

Leanna Johnson (22-5) picked up the win scattering a run and six hits while Ashleigh Morton (7-5) suffered the loss after giving up six runs off of six hits and three walks.

Game Three: Georgia Southern 5, Troy 3
A five-run inning by Georgia Southern powered the Eagles past Troy in the series finale. With the Trojans leading 3-0, a three-run shot by Faith Shirley tied the game. Macy Coleman gave the Eagles the lead with a two-run home run that capped off the inning.

Troy got on the board first with a three-run blast to left field by Stephanie Snyder, her second home run of the season, but after could not plate any runs in the seventh to keep the game alive.

Shelby Barfield (2-2) earned the win giving up no hits and scattering two walks in 2.2 innings of work while Willis suffered the loss for Troy giving up four runs off of nine hits.

Next Up
Troy returns home for a Sun Belt Conference series with Appalachian State. The teams will play a doubleheader on Friday night with game one starting at 5 p.m. The series will conclude on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Quotable- Troy Head Coach Beth Mullins
"All things eventually come to an end. I am really proud of this group and the fight they showed throughout this winning streak! We are going to go home, get back to work and get ready for another tough conference weekend!"

Notable

Bailey Taylor finished the week batting a .455 with six RBIs. Taylor's three-run shot puts her at tied for first on the team with five home runs this season.
Leanna Johnson picked up two more wins this week after scattering nine hits and striking out 12 batters. Johnson remains ranked in the top five nationally in victories with 22.