Trojans Drop Midweek Contest to Alabama

Tuesday, May 9

Montgomery, Ala.

6 p.m.

Troy University

33-17

Alabama

33-16

Troy

Alabama

5/9/2023 10:36:00 PM | Baseball

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – After scoring the first two runs of the game, Troy was unable to add any more as Alabama scored seven unanswered runs on their way to a 7-2-win Tuesday night from Riverwalk Stadium in Montogomery. With the win, the Crimson Tide took both games this season against the Trojans.
Troy (33-17) only managed four hits on the evening. William Sullivan was responsible for both the Trojan runs as he finished 1-for-4 with a double. Two of the four hits for the Trojans came from Caleb Bartolero, including the 49^th double of his career, putting him in sixth place on the Troy all-time career double list. Making his first start of the season, Noah Manning went two innings allowing two hits, with a walk and a strikeout. Those two hits came in the first inning as Alabama threatened, but Manning was able to strand runners at the corners to get out of the jam and keep the game tied. The fifth inning saw Alabama take the lead. A leadoff triple and sacrifice tied the game. Then, a two-out single by Andrew Pickney kept the inning going. Pickney would go on to steal second and score after two Trojan errors on the play to take a 3-2 lead, and Alabama went on to lead the rest of the way. A lightning delay in the middle of the sixth paused the game for 30 minutes before play resumed. Alabama didn't waste any time scoring and extending the lead as they took advantage of back-to-back walks scoring after a double and a wild pitch to take a 5-2 lead. Another error led to another run for Alabama, but a double ended the inning as Troy found themselves down 6-2. Matt Mercer (1-1) picks up his first loss of the season after going three innings, allowing five hits and three runs, with only one of them being earned and four strikeouts. For Alabama (33-16), Aidan Moza (2-1) got the win as he held the Trojans to one hit in 2.1 scoreless innings. Both the Trojan runs were charged to Crimson Tide starter Hunter Furtado, but Troy only managed two hits off the Alabama bullpen. Bryce Eblin led Alabama with three hits and an RBI, while Tommy Seidl, Drew Williamson, and Pickney each had two hits.
Bartolero's team-leading 16^th double of the season put a runner in scoring position. The Trojans capitalized after a passed ball moved him to third before Sullivan induced weak contact to first base, allowing Bartolero to score quickly, giving Troy the early 1-0 lead.
Alabama tried to duplicate the Trojan inning with a one-out double in the bottom half but once again were denied as Mercer, who came on in relief, got a fly ball and a strikeout to end the threat. Troy, in the fourth, immediately took advantage as a Shane Lewis walk brought up Sullivan for the second time of the night, and for the second straight at-bat, Sullivan came through. Sullivan split the outfields for a double to left center as Lewis never stopped running to score and double the lead. The Crimson Tide managed to get that run back in the bottom of the fourth after stringing together a pair of hits, with the run coming after an errant throw from the right fielder, allowing an unearned run to cross. Added insurance came in the bottom of the seventh after an Alabama solo home run making it a five-run game as Troy was unable to mount a comeback. The Trojans now get set for the season's final Sun Belt Road trip as they travel to Marshall for a three-game series beginning on Friday, May 12.