Smith, Ellingworth Shut Out Marshall as Troy Takes Series

Sunday, April 26

Huntington, W.Va.

12 p.m.

Troy University

22-22, 12-9

Marshall

19-23, 10-11

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

Smith, Ellingworth Shut Out Marshall as Troy Takes Series

4/26/2026 4:03:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Troy Athletics Communications

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Troy sealed the series at Marshall with its first shutout of the season in Sunday's 1-0 victory at Jack Cook Field.

The Trojans (22-22, 12-9 SBC) got six scoreless innings from starter Hayden Smith, who pitched five clean innings out of the bullpen against Jax State on Tuesday. The left-hander limited Marshall (19-23, 10-11 SBC) to three hits, striking out three without a walk on an efficient 61 pitches.

Cooper Ellingworth kept the Thundering Herd off the board in the final three innings, in part due to a Troy defense that finished the game with four double plays. Ellingworth allowed leadoff singles in both the seventh and eighth innings, but he faced the minimum as both runners were put out in double plays before a 1-2-3 ninth, including a perfect turn by third baseman Josh Pyne on a Jackson Golden bunt in the eighth.

Marshall starter Kenyon Collins gave the Herd seven strong innings with one run on five hits, one walk and six strikeouts. The lone run of the ballgame came in the third inning as Aaron Piasecki singled, reached second on a Pyne sacrifice bunt, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball. The run became earned when Jimmy Janicki followed with a single.

The Trojans threatened for more in the eighth against Landen Doll, loading the bases with one out on a pair of singles by Pyne and Blake Cavill before Janicki was hit by a pitch. Doll escaped the inning as Marshall third baseman Cleary Simpson made a diving stop on a Steven Meier ground ball to get Pyne out at the plate before Drew Nelson grounded out to end the inning.

Notables

Troy moves to 8-3 in series finales and 6-2 in rubber matches this season.
Troy now leads the all-time series with Marshall 7-2. Troy swept Marshall in 2023 and took 2-of-3 in 2025 and 2026.
Troy pitched its first shutout of the season. It was the Trojans' first 1-0 win since May 10, 2013, against Arkansas State
Troy walked zero hitters for the second consecutive game and for the third time this season. It's the first time Trojan pitchers have gone back-to-back games without issuing a walk since going an entire three-game series without a walk against South Alabama in 2014.
Hayden Smith made the first start of his college career, tossing a career-high six innings. It surpasses his career high of five innings that he set on Tuesday against Jax State.
With 11 scoreless innings on the week, Smith lowered his ERA from 4.11 to a team-best 2.39.
Cooper Ellingworth earned his fourth save of the season.
Blake Cavill extended his reached base streak to 33 games. It's the longest active streak in the Sun Belt Conference.
Jimmy Janicki extended his hitting streak to ten games, which matches his season high. He's hitting .467 with 21 hits, five doubles, five homers and 20 RBIs during that stretch.

Quotables
Head Coach Skylar Meade on the win…
"The story of the day was Hayden Smith. I think that goes without saying. What a week. 11 innings, scoreless. He certainly ought to be the pitcher of the week. It's hard pressed to see guys throwing 11 innings of scoreless baseball."

Starting pitcher Hayden Smith on his performance…
"Honestly, the ball was just going where I was aiming. There wasn't much to it. I'm a lot better when I throw strike one - especially on a day like today, allowing them to put the ball in play is good for me. Being efficient, keeping the pitch count down and letting the defense work is my strategy and it's been paying off."

Next Up
Troy returns to Athens, Ga., to take on No. 5 Georgia on Tuesday. The Trojans defeated the then-ranked No. 8 Bulldogs 6-5 back on February 25.