Troy University Athletics
Friday, February 14
Troy, Ala.
5:30 p.m.
Troy University
5-2
11
vs
6
Eastern Illinois
2-5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Eastern Illinois
0
1
0
2
1
2
0
6
10
2
Troy
0
0
5
0
3
3
X
11
12
0
Trojans Win Shootout Against Eastern Illinois
2/14/2025 8:29:00 PM | Softball
Troy, Ala. – The Trojans secured an 11-6 win over Eastern Illinois in a back-and-forth battle on Valentine's Day. Four RBIs off the bat of Annie Orman and a huge night from Sarah Beth Brake powered Troy (5-2) in its second straight win.
After starting off the season slow, Orman broke out, going 2-for-3 with a double and four runs driven in. Brake annihilated a home run as part of a 2-for-3, four RBI night, and Sissy Dunn had a two-hit game.
Just a day after making a gritty save in the seventh inning, Mya Holt (2-1) took the circle against the Panthers (2-5). She made quick work of EIU in the first inning, sitting down three batters in seven pitches.
EIU struck first, scoring a run in the second inning off two hits and a hit-by-pitch. Holt bounced back to end the inning on a strikeout.
Following a three-hit game against SEMO, Boltz led off the bottom of the second with a single. However, Troy couldn't push the run across.
While Holt allowed a third-inning double, a brilliant snag from the circle and a strikeout helped her out of the inning.
Natalie Turner ignited the offense with a line-drive single up the middle in the third. She swiped second – Taylor McKinney and Caiden Oliva followed it with walks to load the bases.
A passed ball brought home Turner, knotting the game at 1-1, and an error by the EIU center fielder gave Troy another run. Ole Miss transfer Annie Orman crushed a double to left field, clearing the bases and handing Troy a 5-1 lead.
The Panthers forced Holt out of the game after scoring a run in the fourth inning, and Kate Peters entered the game. EIU added another run, but a strikeout and a harmless ground ball got Troy out of the inning with a 5-3 lead.
Peters was forced out of the game after EIU cut the lead to one in the fifth off an RBI single – Esmee Ames stepped into the circle and got the groundout to get out of the inning.
Brake wasted no time in widening the lead yet again, teeing off on a breaking ball and sending it over the wall. The solo shot, Brake's second home run of the year, made it 6-4 Troy.
Continuing the momentum, Orman slapped a single up the middle, and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Turner pushed the lead to four.
EIU continued the scoring with a two-run home run, but Troy answered right back. Brake came up clutch again, smoking a double to center field to score two more runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Rebekah Johnson widened the lead to 11-6 with an RBI double, and Ames shut the door in the seventh to earn her first save as a Trojan.
Quotable: Head Coach Eric Newell
"I'm really proud of the team. That was a hard-fought game, a gritty game, and there were some key moments offensively where we really rose to the occasion. That three-run, bases clearing double was a huge moment and Sarah Beth Brake had a big home run and a two-RBI double over the center fielder's head. The momentum is real. Honestly, Esmee Ames just continues to come in and does a good job of limiting the damage."
Notables
After starting off the season slow, Orman broke out, going 2-for-3 with a double and four runs driven in. Brake annihilated a home run as part of a 2-for-3, four RBI night, and Sissy Dunn had a two-hit game.
Just a day after making a gritty save in the seventh inning, Mya Holt (2-1) took the circle against the Panthers (2-5). She made quick work of EIU in the first inning, sitting down three batters in seven pitches.
EIU struck first, scoring a run in the second inning off two hits and a hit-by-pitch. Holt bounced back to end the inning on a strikeout.
Following a three-hit game against SEMO, Boltz led off the bottom of the second with a single. However, Troy couldn't push the run across.
While Holt allowed a third-inning double, a brilliant snag from the circle and a strikeout helped her out of the inning.
Natalie Turner ignited the offense with a line-drive single up the middle in the third. She swiped second – Taylor McKinney and Caiden Oliva followed it with walks to load the bases.
A passed ball brought home Turner, knotting the game at 1-1, and an error by the EIU center fielder gave Troy another run. Ole Miss transfer Annie Orman crushed a double to left field, clearing the bases and handing Troy a 5-1 lead.
The Panthers forced Holt out of the game after scoring a run in the fourth inning, and Kate Peters entered the game. EIU added another run, but a strikeout and a harmless ground ball got Troy out of the inning with a 5-3 lead.
Peters was forced out of the game after EIU cut the lead to one in the fifth off an RBI single – Esmee Ames stepped into the circle and got the groundout to get out of the inning.
Brake wasted no time in widening the lead yet again, teeing off on a breaking ball and sending it over the wall. The solo shot, Brake's second home run of the year, made it 6-4 Troy.
Continuing the momentum, Orman slapped a single up the middle, and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Turner pushed the lead to four.
EIU continued the scoring with a two-run home run, but Troy answered right back. Brake came up clutch again, smoking a double to center field to score two more runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Rebekah Johnson widened the lead to 11-6 with an RBI double, and Ames shut the door in the seventh to earn her first save as a Trojan.
Quotable: Head Coach Eric Newell
"I'm really proud of the team. That was a hard-fought game, a gritty game, and there were some key moments offensively where we really rose to the occasion. That three-run, bases clearing double was a huge moment and Sarah Beth Brake had a big home run and a two-RBI double over the center fielder's head. The momentum is real. Honestly, Esmee Ames just continues to come in and does a good job of limiting the damage."
Notables
- Troy improved its all-time record against EIU to 6-1
- Annie Orman got her first extra-base hit as a Trojan with her 3-RBI double in the third inning
- Sarah Beth Brake hit her second home run of the season with her fifth-inning blast
- Rebekah Johnson's double marked her first RBI this season
- Esmee Ames closed the game with a 2.1 inning save, her first as a Trojan
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Holt, Mya (2-1)
L: McKENZIE, Karlie (0-2)
S: Ames, Esmee (1)
Batting:
2B: GROVER, Kendall 1 ; FREDERICK, Alisha 1
HR: GROVER, Kendall 1
RBI: GROVER, Kendall 2 ; CERVENY, Sophie 2 ; TEAKERT, Jenna 1 ; FREDERICK, Alisha 1
Base Running:
RUNS: CRAIN, Abbey 1 ; GROVER, Kendall 1 ; HATTON, Abbi 1 ; MANGANELLO, Kira 1 ; KONKEL, Emily 1 ; CERVENY, Sophie 1
HBP: HATTON, Abbi 1 ; MANGANELLO, Kira 2
Batting:
2B: Dunn, Kayden 1 ; Brake, Sarah Beth 1 ; Johnson, Rebekah 1 ; Orman, Annie 1
HR: Brake, Sarah Beth 1
RBI: Brake, Sarah Beth 4 ; Johnson, Rebekah 1 ; Orman, Annie 4 ; Turner, Natalie 1
SH: Boswell, Makaley 1
SF: Brake, Sarah Beth 1 ; Turner, Natalie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: McKinney, Taylor 1 ; Tidmore, Mia 1 ; Dunn, Kayden 1 ; Ferro, Emily 1 ; Brake, Sarah Beth 2 ; Ueberroth, Hallie 1 ; Boltz, Cassidy 2 ; Howard, McKinnon 1 ; Turner, Natalie 1
SB: Loftis, Megan 2 ; Turner, Natalie 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
4
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
4
Players Mentioned
P
/ SoftballC
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
C / UTL
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
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