Troy Baseball Drops Midweek to Jacksonville State

Wednesday, April 17

Troy, Ala.

6 p.m.

Troy University

26-13

Jacksonville State

14-23

Jacksonville State

Troy

Troy Baseball Drops Midweek to Jacksonville State

4/17/2024 10:05:00 PM | Baseball

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. – Troy baseball falls short in its second midweek against Jacksonville State, 5-3, Wednesday night at Riddle-Pace Field.

Jax State (14-23) got the first strike in the top of the second when Bear Madliak singled to left field on a 1-1 count and stole second. Despite two outs on the board, Gabe Young took his third shot through the right side, 1-0.

The third inning saw Troy's (26-13) response when Kole Myers ripped his fourth triple to right center on a full count – entered ranking second in the conference and 41^st in the nation. Then, Ethan Kavanagh, who ranks 18^th in the country and first for the league in sac flies, dropped his sixth of the season out to right field, allowing Myers to tag up and score, 1-1.

A full-count walk by Drew Collins led to another full-count and single by Logan Walters. Both runners stole, allowing Sam Silas to knock a two-RBI single up the middle to take a 3-1 lead in the fourth. The Gamecocks followed in the fifth with a 2-2 triple to center field by Will Fincher, and Brennen Norton sent him home on a sac fly to right field, 4-1.

Myers capitalized in the bottom of the fifth, earning the 4-0 walk and advancing to third on back-to-back wild pitches – resulted in a Kavanagh walk. Will Butcher captured his sole hit on a single to left center to score Myers, 4-2. The runs continued when Brooks Bryan forced the fielder's choice to score Kavanagh and cut the deficit to 4-3.

A second single by Madliak to left field, followed by a sac bunt, put him on second to open the eighth for the Gamecocks. Walters took a 1-0 pitch, sent it to left field for an RBI double, and provided Jacksonville State with some insurance, 5-3.

The Trojans aimed for more heroics at the bottom of the ninth after Shane Lewis pinch-hit a single to third base on a 1-2 count, and Kavanagh earned his third walk. After Parker Sessions entered as a pinch runner, a wild pitch put him and Lewis on second and third. Butcher stepped up to the plate, earned the full count and knocked one to center field, but it didn't have enough to end the ballgame, 5-3.

Up Next
The homestand continues for the Trojans this weekend when they open the SBC series against Georgia State on Friday at 6 p.m.

In-State Stats
• Myers extended his lead over the Sun Belt Conference in walks and stolen bases, earning the full-count walk in the first and stealing second in the seventh – season totals are 47 and 23, respectively.
• Despite the loss, Troy remains 16-3 when hit by two or more pitches.
• Troy remains winners in the overall series against the Gamecocks 91-62, 46-30 at home and 7-3 over the last 10.\
• Myers' fourth triple of 2024 in the fourth moves him one shy from tying for sixth in single-season history – his 47^th walk also moves him to tie for fourth (Steve Romine (2x)) in walks for a single-season.