Troy University Athletics
Friday, May 2
Troy, Ala.
3 p.m.
Troy University
32-23, 11-12
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12
South Alabama
20-30, 9-13
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7
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South Alabama
0
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12
11
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Troy
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5
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Newell Earns 100th Win as Troy Splits Senior Day Doubleheader
5/2/2025 8:26:00 PM | Softball
TROY, Ala. – Troy softball split a doubleheader with South Alabama to close out the regular season, taking the series win as head coach Eric Newell won his 100th game at the helm. The Trojans (33-23, 12-12 SBC) celebrated Senior Day with a season-ending 12-2 win over the Jaguars (20-31, 9-14 SBC).
Taylor McKinney showed out, going 3-for-5 on the day with five RBIs, three runs and three extra-base hits. The Trojans star also drew two walks on the day and tied the Troy single-season run record with her 54th run of the season. She tied Sandy Atkins' record, which was set in 1995.
In game one, the Trojans dropped a 12-3 contest before roaring back with a 12-2 win in the nightcap.
Game One: Troy 3, South Alabama 12
The Trojans dropped game one 12-3 after South Alabama scored 12 unanswered runs to take the lead after Troy went up 3-0. Troy left 14 runners on base in the loss.
McKinnon Howard led the team with three hits, going 3-for-3. Extending her on-base streak to 38 games, Taylor McKinney went 1-for-3 with a double and two walks.
Alyssa Faircloth sat down the first six Jaguar batters she saw, striking out two in the first two innings. The Trojans struck first in the second inning.
Following walks by Cassidy Boltz and Sarah Beth Brake, Natalie Turner bounced a ball to short. The South Alabama shortstop bobbled the ball, and Boltz raced around to score. The Jaguars escaped the bases-loaded jam with a strikeout, but not before Troy took a 1-0 lead.
Faircloth retired the Jaguars in order for the third straight inning, and McKinney led off the bottom of the inning with a double. Troy loaded the bases with walks from Caiden Oliva and Annie Orman.
After a Dailynn Motes hit-by-pitch and sacrifice fly off the bat of Brake, the Trojans extended their lead to 3-0. South Alabama got its first baserunner and capitalized off a Troy error to cut the deficit to 3-2 with an RBI double.
The Trojan lineup went right back to work in the bottom of the fourth, as McKinney drew a walk and Oliva singled to center field. Orman drew another walk to load the bases, but the Trojans couldn't push a run across.
In the fifth inning, the Jaguars reclaimed the lead with a two-out rally. A two-RBI single gave South Alabama a 4-3 lead.
Troy tried to claw back in the bottom of the frame, loading the bases again. However, the Trojans weren't able to score. The Jaguars extended the lead to 10-3 with a six-run sixth inning and added two more in the seventh.
Game Two: Troy 12, South Alabama 2
Troy avenged the game one loss with a run-rule, 12-2 win. Fueled by five RBIs from Taylor McKinney, the Trojans offense exploded for 12 runs if the first three innings.
McKinney finished the game 2-for-2 with five RBIs – she hit a double and an inside-the-park home run, adding a hit-by-pitch and stolen base to her line. Fellow senior Natalie Turner also had a standout Senior Day, going 2-for-2 with an RBI double.
Mya Holt worked a complete game, throwing five innings and surrendering two earned runs. She struck out three batters and only allowed one extra-base hit.
Holt worked a quick first inning, striking out a batter and inducing two flyouts. For the second straight day, the Trojans hit an inside-the-park home run to take a lead.
McKinney blasted a ball to center field, and it bounced off the wall as the left fielder scored. Makaley Boswell, who drew a leadoff walk, also scored to give Troy a 2-0 lead.
The Jaguars got a run back in the second inning, scoring on a fielder's choice. Meanwhile, the Trojans extended the lead right back to two as Turner swatted an RBI double to left field.
McKinney continued her spectacular game by crushing a two-RBI double into the right-center field gap to widen the lead to 5-1.
The Jaguars fought right back, scoring one on an RBI single in the third inning. With the bases loaded, Holt got out of the jam as the Jaguars flew out.
In the bottom of the third, Troy loaded the bases with a walk, hit by pitch and bunt single. McKinnon Howard took the bases-loaded walk to increase the lead to 6-2. The Jaguars pitching staff crumbled in the inning, bringing in three more runs via walks and hit by pitches to give Troy a 9-2 lead.
With only one out and the bases still loaded, Annie Orman laced a single to right field. Three runs scored on the play as the Trojans blew the game wide open at 12-2. McKinney's second run of the game tied the Troy single season record, set by Sandy Atkins in 1995.
Holt continued her strong outing with a scoreless fourth inning. She finished the game out with an excellent defense behind her, as Turner and Dailynn Motes made two slick plays to end it.
Quotable: Head Coach Eric Newell
"It was a good Senior Day, right? I'm happy for these seniors most importantly, and the program is playoff bound. To win a run-rule game over your rival in the last game of the season is amazing. The only thing I wouldn't have scripted was a game two defeat. I'm certainly happy for all our kids, especially our seniors. I'm happy to our fans – thank you Trojan Nation for coming out and watching."
Notables:
Taylor McKinney showed out, going 3-for-5 on the day with five RBIs, three runs and three extra-base hits. The Trojans star also drew two walks on the day and tied the Troy single-season run record with her 54th run of the season. She tied Sandy Atkins' record, which was set in 1995.
In game one, the Trojans dropped a 12-3 contest before roaring back with a 12-2 win in the nightcap.
Game One: Troy 3, South Alabama 12
The Trojans dropped game one 12-3 after South Alabama scored 12 unanswered runs to take the lead after Troy went up 3-0. Troy left 14 runners on base in the loss.
McKinnon Howard led the team with three hits, going 3-for-3. Extending her on-base streak to 38 games, Taylor McKinney went 1-for-3 with a double and two walks.
Alyssa Faircloth sat down the first six Jaguar batters she saw, striking out two in the first two innings. The Trojans struck first in the second inning.
Following walks by Cassidy Boltz and Sarah Beth Brake, Natalie Turner bounced a ball to short. The South Alabama shortstop bobbled the ball, and Boltz raced around to score. The Jaguars escaped the bases-loaded jam with a strikeout, but not before Troy took a 1-0 lead.
Faircloth retired the Jaguars in order for the third straight inning, and McKinney led off the bottom of the inning with a double. Troy loaded the bases with walks from Caiden Oliva and Annie Orman.
After a Dailynn Motes hit-by-pitch and sacrifice fly off the bat of Brake, the Trojans extended their lead to 3-0. South Alabama got its first baserunner and capitalized off a Troy error to cut the deficit to 3-2 with an RBI double.
The Trojan lineup went right back to work in the bottom of the fourth, as McKinney drew a walk and Oliva singled to center field. Orman drew another walk to load the bases, but the Trojans couldn't push a run across.
In the fifth inning, the Jaguars reclaimed the lead with a two-out rally. A two-RBI single gave South Alabama a 4-3 lead.
Troy tried to claw back in the bottom of the frame, loading the bases again. However, the Trojans weren't able to score. The Jaguars extended the lead to 10-3 with a six-run sixth inning and added two more in the seventh.
Game Two: Troy 12, South Alabama 2
Troy avenged the game one loss with a run-rule, 12-2 win. Fueled by five RBIs from Taylor McKinney, the Trojans offense exploded for 12 runs if the first three innings.
McKinney finished the game 2-for-2 with five RBIs – she hit a double and an inside-the-park home run, adding a hit-by-pitch and stolen base to her line. Fellow senior Natalie Turner also had a standout Senior Day, going 2-for-2 with an RBI double.
Mya Holt worked a complete game, throwing five innings and surrendering two earned runs. She struck out three batters and only allowed one extra-base hit.
Holt worked a quick first inning, striking out a batter and inducing two flyouts. For the second straight day, the Trojans hit an inside-the-park home run to take a lead.
McKinney blasted a ball to center field, and it bounced off the wall as the left fielder scored. Makaley Boswell, who drew a leadoff walk, also scored to give Troy a 2-0 lead.
The Jaguars got a run back in the second inning, scoring on a fielder's choice. Meanwhile, the Trojans extended the lead right back to two as Turner swatted an RBI double to left field.
McKinney continued her spectacular game by crushing a two-RBI double into the right-center field gap to widen the lead to 5-1.
The Jaguars fought right back, scoring one on an RBI single in the third inning. With the bases loaded, Holt got out of the jam as the Jaguars flew out.
In the bottom of the third, Troy loaded the bases with a walk, hit by pitch and bunt single. McKinnon Howard took the bases-loaded walk to increase the lead to 6-2. The Jaguars pitching staff crumbled in the inning, bringing in three more runs via walks and hit by pitches to give Troy a 9-2 lead.
With only one out and the bases still loaded, Annie Orman laced a single to right field. Three runs scored on the play as the Trojans blew the game wide open at 12-2. McKinney's second run of the game tied the Troy single season record, set by Sandy Atkins in 1995.
Holt continued her strong outing with a scoreless fourth inning. She finished the game out with an excellent defense behind her, as Turner and Dailynn Motes made two slick plays to end it.
Quotable: Head Coach Eric Newell
"It was a good Senior Day, right? I'm happy for these seniors most importantly, and the program is playoff bound. To win a run-rule game over your rival in the last game of the season is amazing. The only thing I wouldn't have scripted was a game two defeat. I'm certainly happy for all our kids, especially our seniors. I'm happy to our fans – thank you Trojan Nation for coming out and watching."
Notables:
- Head coach Eric Newell recorded his 100th career win at Troy
- Troy earned its first series victory over South Alabama since 2022
- Taylor McKinney extended her on-base streak to 39 games in the doubleheader
- Troy falls to 24-13 when scoring first this season
- McKinnon Howard recorded her fifth three-hit game and 12th multi-hit game of the season in game one
- Taylor McKinney moves into a tie for first place for the most single season runs in Troy history, with 54 – the total ties Sandy Atkins (1995)
- McKinney is tied for the second-most career walks in program history, with 100
- McKinney now has 150 career runs scored, fifth most in program history
- After not hitting an inside-the-park home run since 2013, the Trojans have had one in back-to-back games
- McKinney recorded her second game with five or more RBIs this season
- Makaley Boswell had Troy's first three-walk game since McKinney did it on Mar. 28, 2024, vs Southern Miss
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ryley Harrison (10-7)
L: Faircloth, Alyssa (15-7)
Batting:
2B: Stephanie Gonzalez 1
HR: Sidney Lee 1
RBI: Presley Lively 1 ; Gabby Stagner 2 ; Olivia Branstetter 3 ; Amity White 1 ; Stephanie Gonzalez 2 ; Sidney Lee 1 ; Sophia Mendoza 1
SH: Caitlyn Gavin 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Presley Lively 2 ; Gabby Stagner 2 ; Olivia Branstetter 1 ; Sidney Lee 2 ; Ansleigh Smith 2 ; Caitlyn Gavin 1 ; Brooklynn Bockhaus 2
Batting:
2B: McKinney, Taylor 1
RBI: Motes, Dailynn 1 ; Brake, Sarah Beth 1
SF: Brake, Sarah Beth 1
Base Running:
RUNS: McKinney, Taylor 1 ; Oliva, Caiden 1 ; Boltz, Cassidy 1
HBP: Motes, Dailynn 1 ; Turner, Natalie 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
0
H
3
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
5
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
/ SoftballUTL
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballUTL
/ Softball
UTL
/ SoftballC / UTL
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
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