Troy University Athletics
Troy University
15-5, 2-1
Louisiana
9-12, 1-2
No. 18 Troy Falls Short of Comeback in Series Finale at Louisiana
3/16/2025 6:50:00 PM | Baseball
LAFAYETTE, La. - No. 18 Troy cut a 16-7 deficit to 16-14 in the late innings, but fell short of the nine-run comeback, falling to Louisiana 18-14 in Sunday's series finale.
Brooks Bryan started the rally in the seventh inning with a leadoff home run, and the Trojans tacked on three more with a sacrifice fly by Jakob Wax and a two-run double by Steven Meier. In the eighth, Gavin Schrader hit a bases-loaded double to bring in two runs, however Houston Markham was thrown out at the plate on the play. Jimmy Janicki followed it up by knocking in Schrader on a double to cut the lead to 16-14.
Louisiana got a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth and held the Trojans scoreless in the ninth.
The Trojans got off to a hot start offensively, pegging Louisiana starter Tate Hess for six runs in the first two innings and leading 6-1 after the top of the second. Meier led off the ballgame with a home run while the Trojans added an RBI single from Bryan and RBI groundouts from Mike Bello and Houston Markham in the first. In the second, Blake Cavill roped a double down the left field line to bring in two.
Louisiana responded with seven unanswered runs on a day where the Trojan pitching staff allowed 14 hits and eight walks. Gavin Schrader hit a solo home run in the top of the fifth, his second of the season and the series, but the Ragin' Cajuns put one across in the bottom of the frame before scoring seven runs in the sixth.
Troy took the series from Louisiana 2-1, and moved to 15-5 on the season after a 2-1 start to Sun Belt play.
Quick Hitters
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Troy won the series against Louisiana 2-1. Troy has won the series in each of Skylar Meade's four seasons as head coach. The Trojans are 9-3 against Louisiana under Meade.
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Troy's 14 runs were its most runs scored in a loss since a 17-15 loss to Georgia State on April 18, 2021
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Troy outhit Louisiana 16-14. The Trojans are 11-3 when outhitting their opponent this season.
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Troy lost despite hitting three home runs. It was the Trojans' first loss of the season in a game where they hit a home run. Troy is now 12-1 when hitting a home run.
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Troy has hit 28 home runs this season. All 28 have come against a right-handed pitcher.
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Steven Meier led off the game with a home run. It was Troy's first leadoff home run of the season.
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Meier went 4-for-5 with a double and a home run, extending his on-base streak to 27 games dating back to last season.
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Meier was hit by a pitch in the second inning, his tenth HBP of the season. He entered the day one shy of App State's John Kramer (10) for the Sun Belt lead in HBPs.
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Meier recorded a career-high four hits and matched his career high with three RBIs.
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Sean Darnell went 1-for-5 with a walk, extending his hitting streak to six games and on-base streak to 12 games.
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Blake Cavill went 2-for-5 with a walk, extending his on-base streak to 27 games dating back to last season
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Cavill's walk was his 27th of the season. He entered the day tied for third in the nation with 26 walks.
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Cavill recorded two RBIs, bringing his season total to 24. He entered the day ranked fifth in the Sun Belt with 22 RBIs.
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Brooks Bryan hit a home run and recorded two RBIs. Bryan now has 34 RBIs on the season after entering the day as the Sun Belt leader with 32.
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Bryan's home run was his sixth of the season and second of the series.
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Gavin Schrader made his fourth start of the season going 2-for-4 with a double and a home run. He's recorded at least one hit in all four of his starts this season.
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Schrader's home run was the second of the season and the series.
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Jimmy Janicki went 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI off the bench, extending his on-base streak to 12 games.
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Troy's pitching staff allowed 14 hits and eight walks. It's the most they've allowed of each category this season.
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Dylan King made his first appearance of the season, pitching 1.2 innings with one hit, two runs, zero earned runs and two strikeouts.
Quotable - Head Coach Skylar Meade.
"I was very excited to see some of the guys that got in offensively to help us push that comeback that we weren't able to complete. We had certainly dug ourselves a self-inflicted hole, but I was glad to see those guys come ready to go. In the end, we have to always be ready to go. We weren't early We had a chance to really finish it, and we didn't by doing stuff that shouldn't happen."
Next Up
Troy will close its nine-game road swing at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham against UAB on Tuesday before returning to Troy for a three-game conference series with Coastal Carolina Friday-Sunday.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Blake McGehee (2-3)
L: Falinski, Adam (0-3)
S: Matt Osteen (1)
Batting:
2B: Meier, Steven 1 ; Cavill, Blake 1 ; Schrader, Gavin 1 ; Janicki, Jimmy 1
HR: Meier, Steven 1 ; Bryan, Brooks 1 ; Schrader, Gavin 1
RBI: Meier, Steven 3 ; Cavill, Blake 2 ; Bryan, Brooks 2 ; Bello, Mike 1 ; Markham, Houston 1 ; Schrader, Gavin 3 ; Janicki, Jimmy 1 ; Wax, Jakob 1
SF: Wax, Jakob 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Meier, Steven 2 ; Darnell, Sean 1 ; Cavill, Blake 2 ; Bryan, Brooks 2 ; Bowman, Harrison 2 ; Markham, Houston 1 ; Schrader, Gavin 2 ; Janicki, Jimmy 1 ; Wax, Jakob 1
SB: Meier, Steven 1
HBP: Meier, Steven 1 ; Markham, Houston 1
Batting:
2B: Lee Amedee 1
3B: Brooks Wright 1
HR: Luke Yuhasz 1 ; Conor Higgs 1 ; Caleb Stelly 1
RBI: Luke Yuhasz 2 ; Conor Higgs 4 ; Caleb Stelly 3 ; Lee Amedee 2 ; Jose Torres 1 ; Griffin Hebert 1 ; Brooks Wright 3
SF: Luke Yuhasz 1 ; Jose Torres 1 ; Griffin Hebert 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Luke Yuhasz 3 ; Conor Higgs 4 ; Caleb Stelly 1 ; Carson Hepworth 3 ; Owen Galt 2 ; Griffin Hebert 2 ; Brooks Wright 3
HBP: Conor Higgs 1 ; Jose Torres 1
