Trojans Blast Their Way to Opening Day Victory

Friday, February 17

Troy, Ala.

4 p.m.

Troy University

1-0

Evansville

0-1

Evansville

Troy

Trojans Blast Their Way to Opening Day Victory

2/17/2023 8:47:00 PM | Baseball

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. – A home run derby broke out to open the 2023 season at Riddle-Pace Field as the Trojans won their sixth straight opening day after a 12-7 victory over Evansville on Friday night.

A total of seven home runs were hit between the two teams, with Troy finishing with four making it the second straight year the Trojans have gone yard four times in a single game, with it happening last season against Jacksonville.

"Overall, it was a really good offensive approach," head coach Skylar Meade said. "We can certainly play a little bit cleaner; we got a bit sloppy late in the game, but it was good to see on a day like this, it was advantageous to offense. Plenty of players stepped up, and it was good to get the new guy's feet wet. This place is special and has some magic; any time we get in front of the fans here at Riddle-Pace, it's an awesome experience."

Trojan fans saw plenty of new faces take the field for the first time and contribute to the Troy (1-0) victory. Grady Gorgen (1-0) earned the win and his first as a Trojan in relief after going 1.1 innings pitched, finishing with three strikeouts. Shane Lewis blasted a three-run home run to give Troy the lead, and Tremayne Cobb Jr. had a big first day in the cardinal pin strips finishing the night with three hits, two RBIs, and two runs scored.

Evansville (0-1) starter Nick Smith (0-1) picks up the loss after going 4.2 innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits with five strikeouts. Kip Fougerousse had two home runs for the Aces, while Brendan Hord had a team-high three hits and three RBIs.

After the very first pitch of the ballgame, Troy found themselves down after a Fougerousse home runs off of starter Brady Fuller. However, Fuller was able to settle down shortly after and go four innings, only allowing two earned runs with seven strikeouts on 87 pitches.

The Lewis three-run home run came in the second inning, and Troy never trailed again, scoring in six straight innings. The game was broken open in the bottom of the fifth as Troy scored four runs with a William Sullivan RBI single starting the scoring. It won't go down as a home run in the scorebook, but Cobb Jr. found himself rounding them all after a single to center, skipped past the center fielder, and went all the way to the wall. Newcomer Kole Myers got in on the fun with his first home run as a Trojan right after.

The Trojan bullpen was able to hold off the Evansville comeback as Noah Manning, Kristian Asbury, and Taiga Yamane, who struck out the side in the ninth in his first appearance in a Troy uniform, secured the win.

Troy and Evansville will continue their series tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 18, at 1 p.m. as Zach Fruit takes the mound looking to give Troy two straight wins.