Troy University Athletics
Sunday, April 19
Troy, Ala.
1 p.m.
Troy University
20-20, 10-8
15
vs
11
Louisiana
22-17, 10-8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 10 | 0 |
| Troy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 16 | 1 |
Troy Rallies From Down 9-3, Walks Off Louisiana on Janicki Grand Slam
4/19/2026 7:20:00 PM | Baseball
TROY, Ala. - Troy rallied from down 9-3 to win 15-11 on Jimmy Janicki's walk-off grand slam to win its fifth consecutive series over Louisiana in Sunday's series finale.
The Trojans (20-20, 10-8 SBC) scored 12 runs in the final three frames, starting with a seven-run seventh inning against the Louisiana (22-17, 7-11 SBC) bullpen to take a 10-9 lead.Â
Sawyer Pruitt, who pitched 2.1 scoreless innings on Friday night, surrendered three consecutive one-out singles to Blake Cavill, Janicki, and Steven Meier to set up a bases-clearing double for Drew Nelson. The Ragin' Cajuns turned to Parker Smith after an RBI single by Sean Darnell and a full count walk by Caden Reeves, and Josh Pyne doubled to right center to bring home two runs and put the Trojans ahead.
Nelson, who was named the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Week on Tuesday, moved from left field to the mound in the eighth, allowing Louisiana to reclaim the lead on a two-run homer by Steven Spalitta after a one-out walk by Colt Brown. Nelson responded with a laser over the right field wall in the bottom of the frame to even the score at 11 apiece before putting the Cajuns down 1-2-3 in the ninth.
In the bottom of the ninth, Aaron Piasecki's fifth hit of the day, a Josh Pyne walk, and a Blake Cavill HBP loaded the bases for the Sun Belt RBI leader, Janicki. The sophomore catcher deposited a 1-0 fastball from Garret Carter 406 feet over the centerfield wall to secure the series for the Trojans in walk-off fashion.
Before the improbable comeback, Hayden Smith had worked a scoreless seventh inning, which was just the second zero by the Louisiana offense at that point. Troy starter Noah Thigpen lasted just one inning, allowing four hits, four runs - three earned, one two hits, one walk and two hit batters.Â
The Cajuns expanded their lead with five runs against the relief combination of Dylan Alonso, Brock Tapper, and Blake Dean before Dylan King got the Trojans out of the sixth, retiring three straight hitters and allowing just one inherited runner to score on a sac fly.
Piasecki led off the first inning for Troy with a solo homer, which was the only run Louisiana starter Ty Roman allowed in three innings of work. The Trojans added two more against JR Tollett in the fifth after a Piasecki single, a Janicki double and a Meier triple.
Notables
Head Coach Skylar Meade on the win…
"Let's just only talk about the seventh and beyond. We didn't do things well, but the reality is that's not what matters. There's no clock in baseball. There's no bigger indication of what can happen if you actually fight and you continue to be incredibly resilient. For us, we had some pitchers finally get leadoff outs. We made some plays. Obviously, it took very pivotal swings and quality at-bats. It's a difficult script to write, but it's also one that shows you the answers to the test."
Right fielder Aaron Piasecki on his five-hit day…
"I'm glad I can be up there. I'm blessed for the opportunity that I have. Ben [Wolgamot] does a great job preparing us. Skylar [Meade] always does a great job. I'm just blessed to be out here."
Left fielder/LHP Drew Nelson on his two-way performance…
"Just doing whatever's asked of me. Whether it's hitting or pitching. Just whatever Coach Meade and Wolgamot ask me to do, I'm going to step up and do it."
Catcher Jimmy Janicki on the walk-off grand slam…
"It was bases loaded, one out. I was just trying to do anything I can to get that run in. He got me 1-0, and then I knew he was going fastball. They've been throwing me fastballs all series. Honestly, I didn't know it was a home run. I thought it was just going to be a popout but it cleared the wall."
Next Up
Troy ends its homestand against Jacksonville State on Tuesday before continuing Sun Belt action at Marshall next Friday through Sunday.
The Trojans (20-20, 10-8 SBC) scored 12 runs in the final three frames, starting with a seven-run seventh inning against the Louisiana (22-17, 7-11 SBC) bullpen to take a 10-9 lead.Â
Sawyer Pruitt, who pitched 2.1 scoreless innings on Friday night, surrendered three consecutive one-out singles to Blake Cavill, Janicki, and Steven Meier to set up a bases-clearing double for Drew Nelson. The Ragin' Cajuns turned to Parker Smith after an RBI single by Sean Darnell and a full count walk by Caden Reeves, and Josh Pyne doubled to right center to bring home two runs and put the Trojans ahead.
Nelson, who was named the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Week on Tuesday, moved from left field to the mound in the eighth, allowing Louisiana to reclaim the lead on a two-run homer by Steven Spalitta after a one-out walk by Colt Brown. Nelson responded with a laser over the right field wall in the bottom of the frame to even the score at 11 apiece before putting the Cajuns down 1-2-3 in the ninth.
In the bottom of the ninth, Aaron Piasecki's fifth hit of the day, a Josh Pyne walk, and a Blake Cavill HBP loaded the bases for the Sun Belt RBI leader, Janicki. The sophomore catcher deposited a 1-0 fastball from Garret Carter 406 feet over the centerfield wall to secure the series for the Trojans in walk-off fashion.
Before the improbable comeback, Hayden Smith had worked a scoreless seventh inning, which was just the second zero by the Louisiana offense at that point. Troy starter Noah Thigpen lasted just one inning, allowing four hits, four runs - three earned, one two hits, one walk and two hit batters.Â
The Cajuns expanded their lead with five runs against the relief combination of Dylan Alonso, Brock Tapper, and Blake Dean before Dylan King got the Trojans out of the sixth, retiring three straight hitters and allowing just one inherited runner to score on a sac fly.
Piasecki led off the first inning for Troy with a solo homer, which was the only run Louisiana starter Ty Roman allowed in three innings of work. The Trojans added two more against JR Tollett in the fifth after a Piasecki single, a Janicki double and a Meier triple.
Notables
- Troy trailed 9-3 and came back to win 15-11. It was Troy's largest comeback since a 7-run comeback victory at Florida A&M on March 26, 2025.
- Troy is 7-3 in series finales and 5-2 in rubber matches this season.
- Troy has won all five series against Louisiana under head coach Skylar Meade. The Trojans swept the Ragin Cajuns in 2022 and have won two of three in each of the last four meetings.
- Jimmy Janicki's walk-off grand slam was Troy's first walk-off homer since Shane Lewis hit one against Southern Miss on April 1, 2023. It also gave Troy its first walk-off win of the season.
- Janicki's grand slam traveled 407 feet with an exit velocity of 103 MPH. It was the first grand slam of his career.
- Janicki's five RBIs give him a Sun Belt leading 55 on the season - five more than Old Dominion's Zach Leite in second place.
- Aaron Piasecki's five hits were a career high. He's the first Trojan with a five-hit game since Sean Darnell against Northwestern State on February 22, 2025.
- Piasecki led off the first inning with his sixth homer of the season and second leadoff homer of the season. It traveled 419 feet - his furthest homer of the season - with an exit velocity of 98 MPH.Â
- Josh Pyne's go-ahead two-run double was his 16th double of the season - which ranks second in the Sun Belt - and 74th of his career - which ranks No. 1 among active Division-I players.
- Blake Cavill extended his reached base streak to 29 games.
- Drew Nelson's four RBIs were a career high.
- Steven Meier drew the 40th HBP of his Troy career. He's now five shy of William Sullivan for the program record.
- Nelson's solo homer in the eighth inning was his third homer of the season and second of the series. It traveled a career-long 415 feet with an exit velocity of 102 MPH.
- Nelson earned his second win of the season on the mound, pitching the final two innings.
Head Coach Skylar Meade on the win…
"Let's just only talk about the seventh and beyond. We didn't do things well, but the reality is that's not what matters. There's no clock in baseball. There's no bigger indication of what can happen if you actually fight and you continue to be incredibly resilient. For us, we had some pitchers finally get leadoff outs. We made some plays. Obviously, it took very pivotal swings and quality at-bats. It's a difficult script to write, but it's also one that shows you the answers to the test."
Right fielder Aaron Piasecki on his five-hit day…
"I'm glad I can be up there. I'm blessed for the opportunity that I have. Ben [Wolgamot] does a great job preparing us. Skylar [Meade] always does a great job. I'm just blessed to be out here."
Left fielder/LHP Drew Nelson on his two-way performance…
"Just doing whatever's asked of me. Whether it's hitting or pitching. Just whatever Coach Meade and Wolgamot ask me to do, I'm going to step up and do it."
Catcher Jimmy Janicki on the walk-off grand slam…
"It was bases loaded, one out. I was just trying to do anything I can to get that run in. He got me 1-0, and then I knew he was going fastball. They've been throwing me fastballs all series. Honestly, I didn't know it was a home run. I thought it was just going to be a popout but it cleared the wall."
Next Up
Troy ends its homestand against Jacksonville State on Tuesday before continuing Sun Belt action at Marshall next Friday through Sunday.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Nelson, Drew (2-1)
L: Carter, Garret (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Brown, Colt 1 ; Hernandez, Rigoberto 1 ; Lim, Josh 1
HR: Collins, Mark 1 ; Spalitta, Steven 1
RBI: Collins, Mark 1 ; Amedee, Lee 1 ; Brown, Colt 4 ; Hernandez, Rigoberto 1 ; LaSalle, Donovan 1 ; Lim, Josh 1 ; Spalitta, Steven 2
SF: LaSalle, Donovan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mandino, Maddox 1 ; Collins, Mark 2 ; Amedee, Lee 1 ; Markle, Drew 1 ; Brown, Colt 1 ; Hernandez, Rigoberto 2 ; Rodriguez, Blaze 1 ; Spalitta, Steven 2
SB: Rodriguez, Blaze 1
HBP: Mandino, Maddox 1 ; LaSalle, Donovan 1
Batting:
2B: Janicki, Jimmy 1 ; Nelson, Drew 1 ; Pyne, Josh 1
3B: Meier, Steven 1
HR: Janicki, Jimmy 1 ; Nelson, Drew 1 ; Piasecki, Aaron 1
RBI: Janicki, Jimmy 5 ; Darnell, Sean 1 ; Nelson, Drew 4 ; Meier, Steven 1 ; Piasecki, Aaron 2 ; Pyne, Josh 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Janicki, Jimmy 3 ; Darnell, Sean 1 ; Nelson, Drew 2 ; Markham, Houston 1 ; Meier, Steven 1 ; Cavill, Blake 2 ; Piasecki, Aaron 4 ; Pyne, Josh 1
HBP: Darnell, Sean 1 ; Meier, Steven 1 ; Cavill, Blake 1
Game Leaders
AB
6
R
4
H
5
RBI
2
AB
5
R
3
H
3
RBI
5
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
lf/p
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
4
Players Mentioned
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OF
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OF
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LHP
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RHP
/ BaseballTroy vs. Louisiana - Game 3 (Full Highlights)
Sunday, April 19
Aaron Piasecki, Jimmy Janicki, and Drew Nelson Postgame.- Louisiana Game 3
Sunday, April 19
Skylar Meade Postgame - Louisiana Game 3
Sunday, April 19
Troy vs. Louisiana - Game 1 (Full Highlights)
Saturday, April 18