No. 15 Troy Walks Off Texas State in Extra-Inning Battle

Friday, April 25

Troy, Ala.

6 p.m.

Troy University

30-12, 13-7

Texas State

20-22, 8-11

Texas State

Troy

No. 15 Troy Walks Off Texas State in Extra-Inning Battle

4/25/2025 11:52:00 PM | Baseball

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. - A bases-loaded hit by pitch from freshman Houston Markham gave No. 15 Troy its second walk-off win of the season in Friday night's 3-2 victory over Texas State.

Troy's patience at the plate was the difference against Texas State righty Carson Laws, who leads the Sun Belt with seven saves this season. Steven Meier and Gavin Schrader worked a pair of one-out walks before Peyton Watts followed a Mike Bello strikeout with a two-out walk to load the bases. The very next pitch headed straight for Markham's back to end the ballgame in walk-off fashion.

Runs were at a premium in the extra-inning affair. Freshman Noah Thigpen made his first weekend start for the Trojans, allowing one run in the first inning before settling in with four straight scoreless frames. The righty from Lake Park, Ga., finished with four hits, one run, one earned run, three walks and two strikeouts in his season-high 5.0 innings of work.

Lefty Jacob Roettgen followed with two 2.0 scoreless innings in relief, putting the Bobcats down 1-2-3 in the sixth and seventh innings with a pair of strikeouts.

For Texas State, starter Alex Valentin kept the Trojans in check for the first six innings before exiting with a one-out hit by pitch to Harrison Bowman in the seventh. The lefty held the Troy lineup to four hits and two walks while striking out five.

When the Bobcats turned to fellow left-hander Braylen Timmons, Troy first baseman Blake Cavill changed the ballgame in the blink of an eye with a two-run moonshot over the right field wall to put the Trojans ahead 2-1. It was Cavill's seventh home run of the season and his fifth in the month of April.

Righty Jay Dill took over for Roettgen in the eighth after a leadoff single and worked a scoreless frame before the Bobcats tied it against him in the ninth. A leadoff hit by pitch and a wild pitch set up an RBI single for second baseman Dawson Park, but Dill limited the damage by getting pinch hitter Theo Kummer to ground into the double play.

Dill stranded a runner on third base in the tenth with a strikeout, just the jolt he needed to strike out the side in the 11th, setting up the Trojans' walkoff win in the bottom of the frame.

Game Two between Troy (30-12, 13-6 Sun Belt) and Texas State (20-22, 8-11 Sun Belt) is slated for 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Quick Hitters

Friday's 3-2 win was Troy's second extra-inning game of the season. The Trojans fell 6-5 to Marshall in 11 innings on March 30.
Houston Markham's walk-off HBP was Troy's second walk-off of the season. Blake Cavill had a walk-off bunt to beat Penn 10-9 on March 1.
Markham extended his on-base streak to ten games and his hitting streak to a team-high nine games, going 1-for-5 with an HBP and an RBI.
Blake Cavill extended his on-base streak to 47 games dating back to last season, going 1-for-4 with a home run, a walk and two RBIs.
Cavill's two-run home run in the seventh inning was his seventh of the season. Cavill leads the Trojans with five home runs in the month of April.
Sean Darnell extended his hitting streak and on-base streak to five games, going 1-for-5.
Jimmy Janicki extended his on-base streak to 11 games, going 2-for-5 with a double.
Brooks Bryan extended his on-base streak to seven games, drawing a walk.
Steven Meier extended his on-base streak to 46 games dating back to last season, drawing a walk and an HBP.
Meier's 20 HBPs this season lead the Sun Belt Conference and are the third most in a single season in Troy history.
Gavin Schrader extended his on-base streak to five games, drawing two walks.
Freshman Noah Thigpen made his first weekend start of the season. He's the first Troy freshman to make a weekend start since Brady Fuller started on all 14 weekends in 2022, and he's the first freshman to make a Friday night start since his teammate Garrett Gainous started six game-ones in 2021.
Thigpen pitched a season-high 5.0 innings, totaling four hits, one run, one earned run, three walks and two strikeouts.
Jacob Roettgen pitched 2.0 scoreless innings in relief, picking up two strikeouts. Roettgen has had zero earned runs in five of his six appearances this season.
Jay Dill recorded six strikeouts, tying his career high. He struck out six in 3.2 innings against South Alabama last season (3/22/24).
Dill's 4.0 innings pitched tied his career-high. It was the third time he's pitched 4.0 innings in a game, and season time this season.
Dill earned his second win of the season, bringing his record to 2-1.

Quotables

Head Coach Skylar Meade on the competitive game…

"You felt like it was going to have to get weird. Their guys were just really good, really nasty. That's high-level stuff. If I'm a fan at the game, I'm sitting there going, 'There's better stuff than that?' You'd be hard-pressed to find it. Those kids over there competed their butts off. Their starter and beyond - each guy they brought in - what a great job by their pitching staff. Thankfully, we were able to take advantage and be disciplined there in that 11th inning."

Meade on Jay Dill…

"My goodness, what an effort by Jay Dill to hold the game. He probably wasn't his sharpest. You look at the 38 strikes in 71 pitches. Probably not the most premier from him, but when he needed to make premier pitches, he did, and that's the name of the game.

Blake Cavill on his home run…

"They started a lefty and he shoved. He threw six shutout. They come there in the seventh, they bring in another lefty. 2-0, Ben [Wolgamot] gives me the green light, and I'm like, 'alright, perfect,' and I take it right down the middle. I was very worried for myself that Ben was going to yell at me. And then he threw the same pitch again, thankfully, and I put that one very far over the wall."