Troy University Athletics
Troy University
20-9, 0
Southern Miss
16-10, 0
Trojans Fall in Series Finale to Southern Miss
4/2/2023 4:58:00 PM | Baseball
Southern Miss (16-10, 4-4) used five unearned runs after an error in the top of the fifth to take the lead and hold it for the four innings that followed. A seven-run ninth for the visitors broke the game open.
Troy (20-9, 4-5) was held to five hits, with three of them coming in the final two frames. Caleb Bartolero went 2-4 with two hits and two RBIs, and Kole Myers led off the ball game with his seventh home run of the season.
Getting the start for Troy was Grayson Stewart (3-2). Stewart cruised through the first four innings, including striking out the side in the first. But, unfortunately, the fifth was where the Golden Eagles got to him as they put up five unearned runs after a Trojan error allowed the inning to continue.
For the third time this series, Slade Wilks hit a home run giving him three RBIs and a run scored. All but one Golden Eagle recorded a hit while only leaving five men on base.
Troy got to Southern Miss starter Niko Mazza early, as his day was done after 2.1 innings. But the Southern Miss bullpen came in and shut down the Troy offense as Isiah Rhodes (1-1) came on to earn the win going 2.0 innings with three strikeouts and a walk. Billy Oldham followed and got the save after coming on in a two-run ball game and pitching 4.2 scoreless innings while striking out seven.
After the five-run inning, Troy had an opportunity to get those runs back as back-to-back walks with one out put runners on, but Oldham, who had just entered, got two quick strikeouts to end the threat.
With Myers's home run in the first, Troy as a team has hit 54 this season, which already matches the total amount from each of the last two seasons.
Troy will hit the road for four straight games with a midweek up in Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama on Tuesday, April 4 at 6 p.m., followed by a Sun Belt series in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to face Arkansas State.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rhodes, Isaiah (1-1)
L: Stewart, Grayson (3-2)
S: Oldham, Billy (1)
Batting:
2B: Dickerson, Dustin 1 ; Ewing, Reece 1 ; Lynch, Danny 1
HR: Wilks, Slade 1
RBI: Etzel, Matthew 1 ; Dickerson, Dustin 2 ; Wilks, Slade 3 ; Ewing, Reece 2 ; Montenegro, Rodrigo 1 ; Paetow, Carson 1 ; Lynch, Danny 1 ; Robertson, Creek 1
SF: Etzel, Matthew 1 ; Dickerson, Dustin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Etzel, Matthew 1 ; Dickerson, Dustin 2 ; Wilks, Slade 1 ; Ewing, Reece 1 ; Montenegro, Rodrigo 1 ; Russo, Matthew 2 ; Paetow, Carson 1 ; Lynch, Danny 2 ; Robertson, Creek 2
Batting:
2B: Bartolero, Caleb 2
HR: Myers, Kole 1
RBI: Myers, Kole 1 ; Bartolero, Caleb 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Myers, Kole 1 ; Mock, Kyle 1 ; Lewis, Shane 1
SB: Mock, Kyle 1
HBP: Mock, Kyle 1
