Troy University Athletics
Sunday, May 3
Troy, Ala.
1 p.m.
Troy University
23-25, 13-11
10
vs
3
App State
28-18, 15-9
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App State | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| Troy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | X | 10 | 13 | 0 |
Troy Rallies Past App State in Series Finale
5/3/2026 6:04:00 PM | Baseball
TROY, Ala. - Troy scored ten unanswered runs to defeat App State 10-3 in Sunday's series finale at Riddle-Pace Field.
The Trojans (23-25, 13-11 SBC) trailed 3-0 after a three-spot from the Mountaineers (28-18, 15-9 SBC) in the third inning, but got 5.2 scoreless innings from their bullpen to secure the victory.
Drew Nelson, who started at DH, relieved starter Hayden Smith with two on and one out in the fourth and stranded both baserunners. The lefty went on to toss 4.1 scoreless innings with two hits, three walks and three strikeouts. Nelson walked two and plunked another in the fifth, but struck out catcher Colton Denton to strand the bases loaded.
Nelson loaded the bases again in the eighth with the Trojans leading 5-3, but Dylan Alonso forced a soft flyout to Charlie Evans to get out of the jam before putting the top of the order down 1-2-3 in the ninth.
App State starter Tanner Nolan held Troy scoreless for the first four innings before the Trojans knocked him out with out in the fifth. The Trojans scored their first two runs of the ballgame on an RBI single by Blake Cavill and a sac fly from Jimmy Janicki. Sean Darnell put Troy in front in the sixth with a two-run single, while Nelson singled in a run in the seventh.
The Trojans exploded for five runs in the eighth to give Alonso a comfortable lead in the ninth. Troy loaded the bases on a Sean Darnell HBP, Aaron Piasecki's third hit of the day and a Josh Pyne HBP before Blake Cavill rocketed a single up the middle to drive in the first two runs. Janicki broke the game open by depositing his 15th homer of the season 381 feet over the right field wall.
Notables
Quotables
Head Coach Skylar Meade
"Alonso getting out of the jam, I thought, was just pivotal. We haven't done that this week - let's just call a spade a spade. As soon as things got chaotic or we created some freebies, we made the non-winning pitch. Alonso made the winning pitch to Evans there, and then we stacked on the runs."
DH/LHP Drew Nelson
"Total respect for App State's lineup. Those guys can really swing it. Being able to challenge them and trust my stuff was big."
Catcher Jimmy Janicki
"Pitching-wise, Nelly did a great job. That was incredible. Alonso coming in the game late and shutting them down. Hitting was a little slow in the beginning, but it came together during the end."
Next Up
Troy hosts No. 21 Alabama at Riddle-Pace Field on Tuesday before wrapping up its final homestand with South Alabama next weekend.
The Trojans (23-25, 13-11 SBC) trailed 3-0 after a three-spot from the Mountaineers (28-18, 15-9 SBC) in the third inning, but got 5.2 scoreless innings from their bullpen to secure the victory.
Drew Nelson, who started at DH, relieved starter Hayden Smith with two on and one out in the fourth and stranded both baserunners. The lefty went on to toss 4.1 scoreless innings with two hits, three walks and three strikeouts. Nelson walked two and plunked another in the fifth, but struck out catcher Colton Denton to strand the bases loaded.
Nelson loaded the bases again in the eighth with the Trojans leading 5-3, but Dylan Alonso forced a soft flyout to Charlie Evans to get out of the jam before putting the top of the order down 1-2-3 in the ninth.
App State starter Tanner Nolan held Troy scoreless for the first four innings before the Trojans knocked him out with out in the fifth. The Trojans scored their first two runs of the ballgame on an RBI single by Blake Cavill and a sac fly from Jimmy Janicki. Sean Darnell put Troy in front in the sixth with a two-run single, while Nelson singled in a run in the seventh.
The Trojans exploded for five runs in the eighth to give Alonso a comfortable lead in the ninth. Troy loaded the bases on a Sean Darnell HBP, Aaron Piasecki's third hit of the day and a Josh Pyne HBP before Blake Cavill rocketed a single up the middle to drive in the first two runs. Janicki broke the game open by depositing his 15th homer of the season 381 feet over the right field wall.
Notables
- Following the weekend, Troy sits at fifth in the Sun Belt standings at 13-11. The Trojans are one game behind next week's opponent, South Alabama (14-10), and one game ahead of Louisiana (12-12).
- Troy is 9-3 in series finales this season.
- Drew Nelson pitched a season-high 4.2 innings. It was also the longest relief appearance of his career.
- Nelson also pitched the longest scoreless outing of his career. He had previously tossed four scoreless innings in a start against South Alabama during his freshman season at Auburn in 2023.
- Dylan Alonso earned his team-high sixth save of the season.
- Aaron Piasecki extended his hitting streak to six games. He's hitting .393 with a pair of doubles during that stretch.
- Blake Cavill picked up his third three-RBI game of the season.
- Jimmy Janicki extended his hitting streak to a career-high 14 games. He's hitting .443 with eight doubles, seven homers and 26 RBIs during that stretch.
- Janicki totaled four RBIs, giving him a Sun Belt-leading 65 RBIs on the season. His 15 homers are tied with Southern Miss' Kyle Morrison for the SBC lead.
- Steven Meier drew the 43rd hit-by-pitch of his Troy career, which is the second-most in program history. He's two shy of William Sullivan's 45 for the Troy record.
- Gavin Schrader made his first start since March 27, drawing two walks and one HBP.
Quotables
Head Coach Skylar Meade
"Alonso getting out of the jam, I thought, was just pivotal. We haven't done that this week - let's just call a spade a spade. As soon as things got chaotic or we created some freebies, we made the non-winning pitch. Alonso made the winning pitch to Evans there, and then we stacked on the runs."
DH/LHP Drew Nelson
"Total respect for App State's lineup. Those guys can really swing it. Being able to challenge them and trust my stuff was big."
Catcher Jimmy Janicki
"Pitching-wise, Nelly did a great job. That was incredible. Alonso coming in the game late and shutting them down. Hitting was a little slow in the beginning, but it came together during the end."
Next Up
Troy hosts No. 21 Alabama at Riddle-Pace Field on Tuesday before wrapping up its final homestand with South Alabama next weekend.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Nelson, Drew (3-1)
L: Tibbett, Logan (1-3)
S: Alonso, Dylan (6)
Batting:
2B: Puig, Ethan 1
RBI: Puig, Ethan 2 ; Luft, Riley 1
SH: Zamora, Joseph 1
SF: Luft, Riley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Evans, Charlie 1 ; Smith, Steven 1 ; Yaghoubi, Tank 1
HBP: Smith, Steven 1 ; Yaghoubi, Tank 1 ; Seward, Jalen 1
Batting:
2B: Janicki, Jimmy 1 ; Meier, Steven 1 ; Piasecki, Aaron 1
HR: Janicki, Jimmy 1
RBI: Janicki, Jimmy 4 ; Darnell, Sean 2 ; Nelson, Drew 1 ; Cavill, Blake 3
SF: Janicki, Jimmy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Schrader, Gavin 2 ; Janicki, Jimmy 2 ; Darnell, Sean 1 ; Cavill, Blake 1 ; Book, Nolan 1 ; Piasecki, Aaron 2 ; Pyne, Josh 1
SB: Schrader, Gavin 1
HBP: Schrader, Gavin 1 ; Darnell, Sean 1 ; Nelson, Drew 1 ; Meier, Steven 1 ; Pyne, Josh 1
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
LHP/UTL
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballSkylar Meade, Drew Nelson & Jimmy Janicki Postgame - App State Game 3
Sunday, May 03
Skylar Meade Postgame - App State Doubleheader
Saturday, May 02
Skylar Meade Postgame - Georgia
Tuesday, April 28
Skylar Meade & Hayden Smith Postgame - Marshall Game 3
Sunday, April 26