Troy Beats Coastal to Clinch Sun Belt Tournament Berth

Thursday, April 30

Conway, S.C.

5 p.m.

Troy University

32-19, 10-12

Coastal Carolina

22-30, 6-16

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

Troy Beats Coastal to Clinch Sun Belt Tournament Berth

4/30/2026 7:52:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: Troy Athletics Communications

CONWAY, S.C – The Troy softball team clinched a Sun Belt Tournament berth with a 4-2 win over Coastal Carolina on Thursday night. A four-run third inning and a complete game from Ella Cunningham powered the Trojans (32-19, 10-12 SBC) to the win against the Chanticleers (22-30, 6-16 SBC).

The Trojans are in the conference tournament for the fourth straight season under head coach Eric Newell, and will travel to Lafayette, Louisiana, next week. Troy looks to improve its seeding in a doubleheader tomorrow afternoon.

Cunningham held a powerful Coastal Carolina offense in check, striking out five in her third complete game this year. She retired 13 straight batters from the first through the fifth inning. At the dish, she collected two base knocks.

Presley Ivey got Troy on the board first with an RBI single, and Makaley Boswell drove home two more in the big third inning on a single. Ivey finished the contest 2-for-4 with an RBI, a run and a stolen base, while Boswell went 1-for-4 with two RBIs and a run. McKinnon Howard also had two hits in the contest, scoring a run and stealing a base.

While Troy went scoreless to start it, Cunningham struck out two batters in the first inning. She struck out another to keep it scoreless in the second.

Dailynn Motes got Troy's first hit of the game in the third, and Howard followed it up with a perfect bunt single to put runners on the corners. Ivey quickly made it 1-0 with a single up the middle, and Boswell cleared the bases with a two-RBI single.

Mia Tidmore brought Boswell home with a bunt single to widen the lead to 4-0 Trojans, and Cunningham struck out her fourth batter in the third to keep it rolling. She retired the side in order in the fourth, extending her streak to 12 straight batters retired.

Although Ivey hit a single in the fifth, the Trojans couldn't add on. The Chanticleers hit a solo shot in the fifth to cut the Troy lead to 4-1, but Cunningham ended the inning.

Cunningham hit a single in the sixth before Coastal Carolina cut the lead to 4-2 with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half. Howard hit her second single of the game to lead off the seventh, but the Trojans couldn't add on insurance. Cunningham went back out for the seventh and closed it out, striking out one in the process.

Quotable: Head Coach Eric Newell
"It was a good night. Ella Cunningham pitched really well, and we had just enough offense to take care of business. No matter what, the girls knew deep down they wanted to get the win and control their destiny into the playoffs, and there's a little bit of pressure in that. To come here on the road in a tough environment and win feels really good and I'm happy for our team."

Notables

Troy is 18-9 against Coastal Carolina all-time
The Trojans clinched a Sun Belt Tournament berth with the win
The Trojans stole two bases, moving to 99 on the season – Troy has stolen 100 bases in a season just three times, and not since 2016
Makaley Boswell logged her 13th multi-RBI game of the season
Presley Ivey recorded her ninth multi-hit game of the season
Ella Cunningham spun her third complete game this year
Cunningham logged her 13th multi-hit game this year
McKinnon Howard recorded her 11th multi-hit game this season