Troy University Athletics
Friday, February 13
Troy, Ala.
2 p.m.
Troy University
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Central Arkansas
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Central Arkansas
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Troy
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Cunningham, Strong Pitching Lead Troy to Two Run-rule Wins
2/13/2026 7:40:00 PM | Softball
TROY, Ala. – Six RBIs from Ella Cunningham and lockdown pitching performances helped the Troy softball earn two more run-rule wins over Central Arkansas and IU Indy – 8-0 and 11-3 -- to start the Cardinal Clash. All six of the Trojans' (6-1) wins this season have been by the run rule.
Cunningham finished the day 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles and a walk. Her two-run homer against the Bears (3-4) helped her drive in four runs in the first game of the day. With her sacrifice fly against the Jaguars (3-4), she became the first Trojan since Katie Webb in 2018 to record an RBI in seven straight games.
In the first game, freshman southpaw Abby Lovell (2-0) struck out six batters in her first career shutout. Emma Banks worked three innings of no-hit ball against IU Indy to earn her first save as a Trojan.
TROY 8, UCA 0
Abby Lovell fired a two-hit shutout and the Troy offense exploded in a six-run fifth inning to take an 8-0 run-rule win over Central Arkansas. Ella Cunningham went 2-for-3 with four RBIs, a double and a home run to fuel the offense.
Lovell struck out six and scattered two hits and two walks across five innings for the Trojans after striking out six in her previous start. The freshman spun her first career shutout and complete game.
Makaley Boswell, Kiley Huffman, and McKinnon Howard each recorded two-hit games against the Bears as well. Boswell ended the game with an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth, scoring Mia Tidmore from third.
Following a quick inning for Lovell in the first, Tidmore and Boswell drew consecutive walks to start the game and advanced on a passed ball. However, a few quick outs ended the threat.
Lovell struck out one in the second, and the Trojans applied pressure again with an infield single and steal from Howard. Troy couldn't manufacture the run, and the inning ended 0-0.
After another scoreless inning from Lovell, Boswell led off the third with a ringing double to left-center field and Huffman bounced a ball to short for an infield single. Cunningham crushed a double to left field to bring in both runners and give Troy a 2-0 lead.
Despite a single and a steal from Dailynn Motes, the Trojans couldn't add on. Both pitchers worked around singles in the fourth inning to put up zeros and hold the score at 2-0 Trojans.
Lovell punched out two more in the fifth inning, and the offense went back to work. Huffman got it started with a double, and Cunningham followed it up with an opposite-field blast to make it 4-0.
Troy walked it off after a strong inning, with Amity White and Tidmore collected RBI hits. White scored on a wild pitch and Boswell ended it with an RBI double down the right field line, marking Troy's fifth run-rule win of the season.
TROY 11, IU Indy 3
Troy earned its third straight run-rule win with an 11-3 victory over IU Indy in the nightcap. Kiley Huffman paced the offense with a 2-for-3, two-RBI performance, scoring three runs and crushing a triple.
Emma Banks earned the save out of the pen, firing off three no-hit innings with five strikeouts to end the game. Mya Holt (2-1) earned the win after starting the game in the circle.
All four of Troy's top hitters in the lineup -- McKinnon Howard, Makaley Boswell, Huffman and Ella Cunningham – logged two-hit games, and Kalee Rochinski added one of her own.
After Holt forced three straight groundouts to start the game, Howard got the Trojans started with a leadoff walk. Howard stole second and took third on an error – she has a team-leading five stolen bases this season.
With one out, Cunningham brought Howard home with a sacrifice fly, becoming the first Trojan since Katie Webb in 2018 to log an RBI in seven straight games. Dailynn Motes launched a triple to center field to score another run and give Troy a 2-0 lead.
Holt worked around a single in the second inning, and the Troy offense went back to work. Back-to-back two-out doubles from Howard and Boswell extended the lead to 3-0.
IU Indy tied it up in the third, using three singles and a sacrifice fly to make it a 3-3 ballgame. Cunningham ran her hit streak to seven games as well with a ringing double to right center to lead off the bottom of the third.
The Trojans snatched the lead right back with an RBI single off the bat of Megan Loftis. Troy made it 5-3 with a Jaguars throwing error on the basepaths as Loftis dashed home.
Emma Banks came on to pitch in the fourth inning, striking out two batters and hanging a zero on the board. Following a two-out triple by Kiley Huffman, Cunningham struck again with an RBI single to extend the lead to 6-3.
Banks worked around a walk in the fifth to hold the lead. Rochinski led off the bottom of the frame with a single up the middle, but the Trojans couldn't take advantage.
Banks rung up two more batters up in the sixth, bringing her strikeout total to five on the night. The offense exploded again in the bottom of the inning after back-to-back singles from Howard and Boswell. Huffman roped a double to center field to score both runners and make it 8-3.
With the bases juiced and one out in the sixth, Presley Ivey drew a walk to score another run. Lydia Kirby took a walk as well, bringing it to 10-3. A sacrifice fly off the bat of Sophia Jenkins won it for the Trojans.
Quotable: Head Coach Eric Newell
"It was a good day at the ballpark for the Trojans, with two run-rule wins. Our offense was really getting it done. We had two good pitching performances – in relief, Emma Banks came in and did a really good job, and Abby Lovell did a great job in the first game. Almost as an expectation at this point, our offense has been cooking.
Notables
Cunningham finished the day 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles and a walk. Her two-run homer against the Bears (3-4) helped her drive in four runs in the first game of the day. With her sacrifice fly against the Jaguars (3-4), she became the first Trojan since Katie Webb in 2018 to record an RBI in seven straight games.
In the first game, freshman southpaw Abby Lovell (2-0) struck out six batters in her first career shutout. Emma Banks worked three innings of no-hit ball against IU Indy to earn her first save as a Trojan.
TROY 8, UCA 0
Abby Lovell fired a two-hit shutout and the Troy offense exploded in a six-run fifth inning to take an 8-0 run-rule win over Central Arkansas. Ella Cunningham went 2-for-3 with four RBIs, a double and a home run to fuel the offense.
Lovell struck out six and scattered two hits and two walks across five innings for the Trojans after striking out six in her previous start. The freshman spun her first career shutout and complete game.
Makaley Boswell, Kiley Huffman, and McKinnon Howard each recorded two-hit games against the Bears as well. Boswell ended the game with an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth, scoring Mia Tidmore from third.
Following a quick inning for Lovell in the first, Tidmore and Boswell drew consecutive walks to start the game and advanced on a passed ball. However, a few quick outs ended the threat.
Lovell struck out one in the second, and the Trojans applied pressure again with an infield single and steal from Howard. Troy couldn't manufacture the run, and the inning ended 0-0.
After another scoreless inning from Lovell, Boswell led off the third with a ringing double to left-center field and Huffman bounced a ball to short for an infield single. Cunningham crushed a double to left field to bring in both runners and give Troy a 2-0 lead.
Despite a single and a steal from Dailynn Motes, the Trojans couldn't add on. Both pitchers worked around singles in the fourth inning to put up zeros and hold the score at 2-0 Trojans.
Lovell punched out two more in the fifth inning, and the offense went back to work. Huffman got it started with a double, and Cunningham followed it up with an opposite-field blast to make it 4-0.
Troy walked it off after a strong inning, with Amity White and Tidmore collected RBI hits. White scored on a wild pitch and Boswell ended it with an RBI double down the right field line, marking Troy's fifth run-rule win of the season.
TROY 11, IU Indy 3
Troy earned its third straight run-rule win with an 11-3 victory over IU Indy in the nightcap. Kiley Huffman paced the offense with a 2-for-3, two-RBI performance, scoring three runs and crushing a triple.
Emma Banks earned the save out of the pen, firing off three no-hit innings with five strikeouts to end the game. Mya Holt (2-1) earned the win after starting the game in the circle.
All four of Troy's top hitters in the lineup -- McKinnon Howard, Makaley Boswell, Huffman and Ella Cunningham – logged two-hit games, and Kalee Rochinski added one of her own.
After Holt forced three straight groundouts to start the game, Howard got the Trojans started with a leadoff walk. Howard stole second and took third on an error – she has a team-leading five stolen bases this season.
With one out, Cunningham brought Howard home with a sacrifice fly, becoming the first Trojan since Katie Webb in 2018 to log an RBI in seven straight games. Dailynn Motes launched a triple to center field to score another run and give Troy a 2-0 lead.
Holt worked around a single in the second inning, and the Troy offense went back to work. Back-to-back two-out doubles from Howard and Boswell extended the lead to 3-0.
IU Indy tied it up in the third, using three singles and a sacrifice fly to make it a 3-3 ballgame. Cunningham ran her hit streak to seven games as well with a ringing double to right center to lead off the bottom of the third.
The Trojans snatched the lead right back with an RBI single off the bat of Megan Loftis. Troy made it 5-3 with a Jaguars throwing error on the basepaths as Loftis dashed home.
Emma Banks came on to pitch in the fourth inning, striking out two batters and hanging a zero on the board. Following a two-out triple by Kiley Huffman, Cunningham struck again with an RBI single to extend the lead to 6-3.
Banks worked around a walk in the fifth to hold the lead. Rochinski led off the bottom of the frame with a single up the middle, but the Trojans couldn't take advantage.
Banks rung up two more batters up in the sixth, bringing her strikeout total to five on the night. The offense exploded again in the bottom of the inning after back-to-back singles from Howard and Boswell. Huffman roped a double to center field to score both runners and make it 8-3.
With the bases juiced and one out in the sixth, Presley Ivey drew a walk to score another run. Lydia Kirby took a walk as well, bringing it to 10-3. A sacrifice fly off the bat of Sophia Jenkins won it for the Trojans.
Quotable: Head Coach Eric Newell
"It was a good day at the ballpark for the Trojans, with two run-rule wins. Our offense was really getting it done. We had two good pitching performances – in relief, Emma Banks came in and did a really good job, and Abby Lovell did a great job in the first game. Almost as an expectation at this point, our offense has been cooking.
Notables
- Troy is 2-0 all-time against Central Arkansas
- The Trojans are 1-0 all-time against IU Indy
- Troy moves to 27-11 in home tournaments under head coach Eric Newell
- The Trojans have won a run-rule contest in all six wins this season
- Kiley Huffman extended her hit streak to seven games
- Dailynn Motes extended her hit streak to seven games
- Motes hit her first career triple against IU Indy
- Makaley Boswell extended her hit streak to six games
- Boswell recorded her team-leading fifth multi-hit game of the season against IU Indy
- Ella Cunningham recorded a hit and an RBI for the seventh straight game – she's the first Trojan to drive in a run in seven straight games since Katie Webb did from Mar. 3 to Mar. 15, 2018
- Cunningham set a career high with four RBIs against UCA
- Abby Lovell logged her first career complete game and shutout against UCA
- Amity White recorded her first hit and RBI as a Trojan after transferring from South Alabama
- Emma Banks set a career high with five strikeouts, which broke her previous high of two with McNeese on Apr. 27, 2025, against Stephen F. Austin
- Banks earned her first save as a Trojan against the Jaguars
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lovell, Abby (2-0)
L: Bowlin, Emory (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Boswell, Makaley 2 ; Tidmore, Mia 1 ; Huffman, Kiley 1 ; Cunningham, Ella 1
HR: Cunningham, Ella 1
RBI: Boswell, Makaley 1 ; White, Amity 1 ; Tidmore, Mia 1 ; Cunningham, Ella 4
Base Running:
RUNS: Howard, McKinnon 1 ; Boswell, Makaley 1 ; Rochinski, Kalee 1 ; Lawrence, Jasmine 1 ; White, Amity 1 ; Tidmore, Mia 1 ; Huffman, Kiley 1 ; Cunningham, Ella 1
SB: Howard, McKinnon 1 ; Lawrence, Jasmine 1 ; Motes, Dailynn 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
4
Players Mentioned
P
/ SoftballUTL
/ SoftballP
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
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