Hot Bats Power the Trojans Past Western Carolina and Mercer

Friday, February 19

Troy, Ala.

1 p.m.

Troy University

5-1

Western Carolina

2-3

Western Carolina

Troy

Hot Bats Power the Trojans Past Western Carolina and Mercer

2/19/2021 7:34:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Game One Box Score (PDF)Game Two Box Score (PDF)Troy Invitational Day One Highlights Photo Gallery

By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. – Troy's offense ignited scoring 21 total runs en route to a pair of wins over Western Carolina, 9-1, and Mercer, 12-4, in the opening day of the Troy Invitational Friday at the Troy Softball Complex.

The Trojans (6-1) plated 21 runs in the opening day of the Troy Invitational, marking the most runs scored in a single day since the Trojans scored 28 runs in a doubleheader against Appalachian State on April 6, 2018.

Troy 9, Western Carolina 1
Troy hopped on the board in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back.

A trio of walks in the bottom of the first loaded the bases for Troy's cleanup hitter Kelly Horne. Horne smashed a single through the left side to give Troy the lead once and for all.

Kynsley Rae Blasingame (1-0) retired the side in the top of the second inning, bringing Troy's offense back to the plate.

A pair of walks and an error plated the first of a four-run inning for the Trojans. A Catamount (2-3) error followed by back-to-back hits by Katie Lively and Candela Figueroa capped off the inning and gave Troy a six-run advantage.

Western Carolina's lone run of the game was plated in the top of the third inning when Danielle Chapman and Morgan Maddalu executed a double steal from first and third.

After a pair of scoreless innings for the Trojans, a Jade Sinness double and a single by Katie Webb plated three runs and powered Troy to a run-rule victory.

Blasingame picked up the win in her first appearance of the season fanning five batters over four innings of work. Libby Baker closed out the final inning of action retiring all three batters faced.

Jayme Eilers (1-2) suffered the loss for Western Carolina allowing two runs and three walks.

Troy 12, Mercer 4
Mercer (2-1) opened its first game of the Troy Invitational firing away and capitalizing on three hits and a throwing error to plate four runs in the opening frame of the matchup.

However, Troy's offense kick-started early when Sinness led off by launching a homer over the right-center wall, her second home run of the season, to put the Trojans on the board.

Brianna Bailey (2-0) caught stride in the second inning recording a strikeout and forcing a pair of fly outs to bring the offense back to the plate.

Anslee Finch stepped into the batter's box with one out in the bottom of the second and blasted her first career long ball to cut the Bears lead in half.

After Bailey blanked the Bears in the top of the third, Logan Calhoun led off with a single and came around to score off a sacrifice fly by Webb to plate the first run of the inning.

After Sinness drew a walk to put a runner on for Horne, the sophomore smashed her first long ball of the season giving Troy its first lead of the game.

Kennedi Gaton joined in on the home run action launching a solo home run directly following Horne's long ball.

Leanna Johnson (SV 1) entered the game in the top of the fourth inning and hung a pair of zeroes to send Troy to the plate in the bottom of the fifth.

After Sinness and Figueroa led off the frame with back-to-back singles, Webb reached on a drop fly ball to load the bases. Horne followed smashing a single through the left side scoring Sinness and Figueroa.

After Gaton grounded out and scored Webb, Ashlan Ard joined in on the home run action blasting a two-run long ball, the first of her career.

Finch followed Ard's homer with another of her own to end the game in five.

Amber Byrd (0-1) suffered the loss for the Bears allowing six runs off five hits and a walk.

QUOTABLE – Head Coach Beth Mullins
"I thought we played good Troy Softball all the way around today. We had good pitching, good defense and good offense. I am really proud of our maturity after a poor first inning against Mercer. We were able to bounce right back and take it one inning at a time."

NOTABLE

Troy's six home runs against Mercer was the most long balls smashed by the Trojans since Troy set the program's single game record with seven home runs against Appalachian State on March 18, 2016.
Freshman Anslee Finch, Ashlan Ard and Kennedi Gaton all recorded their first career home runs against Mercer.
Leanna Johnson picked up her first save of the season entering in the top of the fourth with a two-run advantage over the Bears. The sophomore ranked ninth nationally in saves (three) in the shortened 2020 season.
Tate Moseley made her first start of the season in game two of action.
Kennedi Gaton made her first career starts in the cardinal and white as the designated player in today's contests.
The Trojans scored 12 unanswered runs against Mercer, the most since the Trojans shutout Morgan State, 12-0, last season.