Troy Drops Midweek Matchup with Jax State

Tuesday, April 21

Troy, Ala.

6 p.m.

Troy University

20-21

Jacksonville State

34-8

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Jacksonville State	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	8	1
Troy	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	3	0

4/21/2026 10:30:00 PM | Baseball

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. - Troy and Jacksonville State traded a pair of kill shots as the Trojans fell to 5-4 at Riddle-Pace Field.

The Trojans (20-21) knocked out Jax State starter Ryan Geraghty before recording an out in the first inning, scoring all four of their runs against the righty. The Gamecocks (34-8) scored the game-deciding runs with a five-spot in the fourth inning against Troy right-hander Noah Thigpen.

In the opening frame, Aaron Piasecki walked and Josh Pyne was hit by a pitch before Blake Cavill reached on an error as Geraghy missed the bag while covering first on a ground ball. Piasecki scored the first run on a wild pitch before Jimmy Janicki, who ended Sunday's game against Louisiana with a walk-off grand slam, picked up right where he left off with a three-run blast over the right field wall.

The Gamecocks strung together three one-out singles to begin their five-run fourth with Ace Williamson drawing a walk to bring in the first run and turn the lineup over to the top. Jaxon Pate drove in a run on a sac fly before Caleb Johnson homered to right field to put Jax State ahead.

Thigpen had just worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the third after relieving Chase Cartron, who hit the first batter of the inning. Carton allowed just one hit in a scoreless second, while opener Dylan Alonso struck out two and allowed one hit in the first. Hayden Smith kept Troy in the ballgame throughout the final five frames, allowing just one base runner on a two-out walk in the fifth before retiring 13 consecutive hitters with three strikeouts.

The Jax State bullpen worked nine scoreless innings, limiting the Trojans to just two hits - a leadoff single in the second by Sean Darnell and a leadoff knock by Nolan Book in the ninth. Maddox McDougall and Chase Horst each worked two scoreless frames before Jud Files kept Troy off the board for three.

Jackson Sleeper walked one and struck out one in the eighth before Skyler Hutto earned the save in the ninth. Hutto responded to Book's single by getting Darnell to ground into a double play and forcing pinch-hitter Ty McGraw to ground out to short to end the ballgame.

Notables

Hayden Smith made the longest pitching appearance of his career at 5.0 innings. It was also the longest appearance by a Trojan reliever this season.
Smith's three strikeouts matched his career high.
Smith's ERA dropped a full run from 4.11 to 3.10 with his five hitless innings.
Blake Cavill extended his reached base streak to 30 games, drawing a walk.
Jimmy Janicki's three-run homer in the first inning was his 12th homer of the season. It traveled 342 feet with an exit velocity of 97 MPH.
Janicki's 58 RBIs this season lead the Sun Belt, and are eight more than Old Dominion's Zach Leite in second.
Sean Darnell extended his reached base streak to 14 games, going 1-for-3 with an HBP.

Quotable
Head Coach Skylar Meade
"It's unfortunate that his [Hayden Smith's] goose eggs that he provided didn't afford us the confidence to get it done offensively. That's a game - let's just call a spade a spade - you've got to win that game 4-2 or 4-3, and we completely screwed it up there in the fourth inning."

Next Up
Troy returns to Sun Belt Conference action at Marshall Friday through Sunday.