Troy Baseball Claims Series Victory Over ULM, Splits Day Two Doubleheader

Saturday, March 16

Monroe, La.

12 p.m.

Troy University

13-7, 1-1

ULM

12-7, 1-1

Troy

ULM

Troy Baseball Claims Series Victory Over ULM, Splits Day Two Doubleheader

3/16/2024 8:18:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score - G2 (PDF)Box Score - G3 (PDF)

By: Troy Athletics Communications

MONROE, La. – After falling in game one, 8-4, against ULM at Lou St. Amant Field on Saturday afternoon, Troy baseball recovered with season-highs from Kyle Mock to win game three, 6-4, and claim the series.

Mock totaled a season-high three hits for three RBIs to lead Troy (14-7, 2-1 SBC) in game three, while Tremayne Cobb Jr. tacked on two doubles to clinch the opening Sun Belt series against the Warhawks (12-8, 1-2 SBC). The opening series win marks the second in head coach Skylar Meade's tenure.

The doubleheader saw Aidan Gilroy and Mock lead the Trojans in hits with three. Meanwhile, Will Butcher and Cobb Jr followed with two hits apiece.

Game One – ULM 8, Troy 4
The Warhawks got off to a hot start at the bottom of the first when Easton Winfield led off with a double to left field, and Colby Lunsford sent him home the following play on a single to center field for the early 1-0 advantage. One walk and a hit-by-pitch for ULM set up Cardell Thibodeaux for a 0-1 single out to right field, pushing both runners home, 3-0.

A single for Gilroy, who advanced to second and third on a wild pitch, followed by a 4-0 walk earned by Kole Myers, allowed Ethan Kavanagh to tally Troy's first run, 3-1. On a 2-2 count, Kavanagh sent it to left field for the sacrifice fly and brought Gilroy home to open the third.

ULM didn't take long to respond in the bottom of the third after Troy's walk and fielding error allowed Bryce Blaser to sacrifice bunt and put both runners into scoring position. Shawn Weatherbee grounded out to Cobb Jr., but not before Michelle Artzberger came home, 4-1.

The bottom of the fourth saw the Warhawks extend the advantage to four, 5-1, despite a double play from Kavanagh to Cobb Jr. to Butcher.

The Trojans had the chance to recover at the top of the fifth when bases were loaded after Gilroy bunted a single, followed by a fielder's choice for Myers and a seven-pitch walk for Kavanagh. However, Parker Seay got ULM out of the inning with a strikeout and ground out to first.

Troy's bats came alive in the seventh when Gilroy reached first for the third time on a 4-0 walk with Kavanagh behind him with a single. Then, Brooks Bryan continued his weekend performance with his seventh RBI on a 3-run, 364-foot shot sent over the right field wall to trim the deficit, 5-4.

After a groundout ended Troy's three-run inning, ULM regained its four-run lead, 8-4, on two hits, two walks, a pair of fielder's choices and a sacrifice fly. Troy had one last opportunity to open the ninth after Gilroy and Myers got on base with a hit-by-pitch and walk, respectively. But a double-play on the next play took Troy's chances away, 8-4.

Game Two – Troy 6, ULM 4
ULM kept its momentum rolling into game two, repeating history at the bottom of the first with a pair of runs, 2-0, after a double by Blaser, which brought Artzberger and Lunsford home.

Unlike the first game, the Trojans responded quickly with a walk by Bryan followed by Cobb Jr.'s first of two doubles to right center. Mock brought both home with a 2-2 single up the middle to tie the game at two apiece.

Cobb Jr. and Mock repeated in the fourth to take the 3-2 lead when No. 3 secured his second double off the first pitch, and No. 7 finished it with a first-pitch single to center field. Grayson Stewart brought Kavanagh back to the plate after a quick three up and three down at the bottom of the fourth. After Kavanagh got hit by the pitch, Butcher sent a single to right center, and Kavanagh rounded all the way home, 4-2.

A pair of walks brought Ryan Pettys (1-1) to the mound, and a sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third with one out. On an 0-1 count, Jake Haggard doubled down the left field line, tying the game, 4-4.

Troy capitalized in inning No. 6 when Cobb Jr. walked and stole to second, followed by Mock's season-high third hit to center field and a Shane Lewis walk to load the bases. With one out on the board, Gilroy hit a 0-1 single to left center to reclaim the lead, 5-4. Then, on a wild pitch by ULM's Trey Lindsey, Lewis found his way home, 6-4, to cushion the advantage.

'The Ringer' Noah Manning came in to start the seventh and controlled the Warhawks from there to claim his second save of 2024, giving up zero runs and one hit to secure the 6-4 victory.

Head Coach Skylar Meade
"You win a series, and you have to take that and safely travel back to Troy tomorrow morning. We did a really good job, especially in the second game. I think the bullpen was fantastic with what Ryan did for a couple of innings and then 'The Ringer' closing it out. We had really clean defense in the final eight innings of the game. I'm happy we won the series and get to recuperate tomorrow and get our bodies and minds right before we hit the road for UAB. We have some old guys who've been through it. You must be able to flush out a bad game and respond quickly. You won't be very good at this game if you can't do that. We answered the bell collectively, so we won game two. Tre was really good in the second game and made adjustments between games. The part that excites me more than the base hits is the base running. We created more opportunities and more pressure on them. We earned everything we got."

Up Next
Troy sets its sights on a nonconference midweek matchup at the Young Memorial Field when it takes on UAB on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Doubleheader Digits
• Bryan recorded three RBIs in game one of Saturday's doubleheader to bring his weekend total to seven.
• Mock brought his season RBI number to 12 with a season-high of three in game two on 3-of-3 at the plate.
• Manning was credited with his second save after coming in to open the seventh and pitched 3.0 innings with one strikeout and zero runs given.
• Troy's split with ULM ends its eight-game win streak but extends its series win record to six – last series loss was in 2016.
• The win marks the second opening SBC series victory in Meade's tenure, with the first coming against Louisiana from March 18-20 during his first season.