Troy University Athletics
Saturday, May 30
Gainesville, Fla.
2 p.m.
Troy University
33-30
15
vs
7
Rider
33-20
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rider | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 15 | 0 |
| Troy | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 4 | X | 15 | 14 | 2 |
Troy Explodes for Nine-Run Sixth, Eliminates Rider in Gainesville Regional
5/30/2026 8:26:00 PM | Baseball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - No. 2 seed Troy exploded for nine runs in the sixth inning as the Trojans topped No. 4 seed Rider 15-7 in Saturday's elimination game at the Gainesville Regional.
The Trojans entered the sixth trailing 4-2 but rallied against a Rider bullpen that used seven arms, including five in that inning. Second baseman Sean Darnell opened the frame with a walk in a ten-pitch at-bat, and a pair of hit batters led to a bases-clearing double in the right-center gap by Josh Pyne to flip the score to 5-4 in favor of Troy.
A walk by Blake Cavill, an RBI single by Jimmy Janicki, and another walk by Steven Meier loaded the bases for Drew Nelson, who replicated Pyne's double with a base-clearing two-bagger to deep centerfield. Troy added two more runs in the frame on an RBI single by Jabe Boroff and an RBI fielder's choice by Aaron Piasecki.
Rider starter Kyle Batt had limited Troy to a pair of runs in his 4.2 innings, allowing six hits and two walks while striking out one. Both runs came with runners on the corners and one out as Houston Markham beat out what could have been an inning-ending double play ball in the second, while Janicki did the same in the fifth.
While Troy was out-hit 15-14 by Rider, the Trojans capitalized on their opportunities at the plate, drawing 10 walks and five hit-by-pitches while their pitching staff issued just two walks and did not hit a batter. A leadoff walk to Jabe Boroff in the eighth inning sparked a four-run frame as Markham and Piasecki each delivered doubles, Janicki added an RBI single and Meier lifted a sacrifice fly into foul territory down the left-field line.
On the mound for Troy, starter Hayden Smith held the Broncs in check through the first two innings before they pushed across two runs in the third and another in the fourth. The Broncs pieced together a pair of hits, a walk and a sacrifice fly in the third, then followed with three consecutive singles in the fourth.
The Troy bullpen limited Rider to just one more run in the sixth inning before the Broncs added three late runs in the ninth with the Trojans leading 15-4.
Matt Dill took over for Smith in the fourth, tossing 2.1 innings with two hits and one run. Zach Crotchfelt got the final two outs of the sixth, earning the win and picking up a strikeout. Noah Thigpen tossed two scoreless frames with a pair of punchouts. Rider's three late runs came on five hits against Tate Farquar in the ninth before Brady Richardson came in to get the final out.
Notables
Troy faces the loser of Saturday night's game between No. 1 seed Florida and No. 2 seed Miami at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday.
The Trojans entered the sixth trailing 4-2 but rallied against a Rider bullpen that used seven arms, including five in that inning. Second baseman Sean Darnell opened the frame with a walk in a ten-pitch at-bat, and a pair of hit batters led to a bases-clearing double in the right-center gap by Josh Pyne to flip the score to 5-4 in favor of Troy.
A walk by Blake Cavill, an RBI single by Jimmy Janicki, and another walk by Steven Meier loaded the bases for Drew Nelson, who replicated Pyne's double with a base-clearing two-bagger to deep centerfield. Troy added two more runs in the frame on an RBI single by Jabe Boroff and an RBI fielder's choice by Aaron Piasecki.
Rider starter Kyle Batt had limited Troy to a pair of runs in his 4.2 innings, allowing six hits and two walks while striking out one. Both runs came with runners on the corners and one out as Houston Markham beat out what could have been an inning-ending double play ball in the second, while Janicki did the same in the fifth.
While Troy was out-hit 15-14 by Rider, the Trojans capitalized on their opportunities at the plate, drawing 10 walks and five hit-by-pitches while their pitching staff issued just two walks and did not hit a batter. A leadoff walk to Jabe Boroff in the eighth inning sparked a four-run frame as Markham and Piasecki each delivered doubles, Janicki added an RBI single and Meier lifted a sacrifice fly into foul territory down the left-field line.
On the mound for Troy, starter Hayden Smith held the Broncs in check through the first two innings before they pushed across two runs in the third and another in the fourth. The Broncs pieced together a pair of hits, a walk and a sacrifice fly in the third, then followed with three consecutive singles in the fourth.
The Troy bullpen limited Rider to just one more run in the sixth inning before the Broncs added three late runs in the ninth with the Trojans leading 15-4.
Matt Dill took over for Smith in the fourth, tossing 2.1 innings with two hits and one run. Zach Crotchfelt got the final two outs of the sixth, earning the win and picking up a strikeout. Noah Thigpen tossed two scoreless frames with a pair of punchouts. Rider's three late runs came on five hits against Tate Farquar in the ninth before Brady Richardson came in to get the final out.
Notables
- Troy's 15 runs were its most in an NCAA Tournament game since a 16-7 win over Wright State in the 1995 NCAA Play-In. It was Troy's most runs in an NCAA Regional game, which previously came in an 11-8 win over Boston College in the 2023 Tuscaloosa Regional.
- Troy's win over Rider was its first time winning a regional game after losing the opener. The Trojans had been 0-3 after losing their Regional opener.
- Troy had all nine starters record a hit since May 23, 2025, in last year's Sun Belt Tournament against Old Dominion.
- Troy scored nine runs in the sixth inning. It was the Trojans' third nine-run inning this season. Troy also did it against Mercer (Feb. 14) and Alabama State (Mar. 31).
- Troy scored 15 runs despite not hitting a home run. It's the most runs the Trojans have scored without a homer since a 15-3 win over App State on April 8, 2018.
- With two hits, including a double, Josh Pyne is now tied with Mississippi State's Noah Sullivan as the NCAA's active career leader in hits (291) and leads all active players in career doubles (21).
- Steven Meier extended his hitting streak to five and his reached base streak to 16 games.
- Meier drew the 45th hit-by-pitch of his Troy career, which ties William Sullivan for the program record.
- Aaron Piasecki extended his hitting streak to seven games and reached base streak to 13 games.
- Jimmy Janicki extended his reached base streak to 13 games.
- Janicki tallied three RBIs, giving him 76 on the season, which is the fourth-most in Troy history. He trails Brooks Bryan (85 - 2025), Joey Denison (81 - 2018) and Shane Lewis (77 - 2023).
- Zach Crotchfelt earned his team-leading sixth win of the season.
Troy faces the loser of Saturday night's game between No. 1 seed Florida and No. 2 seed Miami at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Crotchfelt, Zach (6-2)
L: Poliey, C. (3-2)
Batting:
2B: Magoulick, C. 1
HR: Hartmann, E. 1
RBI: Hartmann, E. 2 ; Neri, K. 1 ; Medlock, E. 3 ; Labrusciano, A. 1
SF: Neri, K. 1 ; Medlock, E. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gallagher, W 1 ; Hartmann, E. 1 ; Puvel, G. 1 ; Paskell, A. 1 ; Magoulick, C. 2 ; Leahy, M. 1
SB: Shuhet, N. 1
Batting:
2B: Piasecki, Aaron 1 ; Pyne, Josh 1 ; Nelson, Drew 1 ; Boroff, Jabe 1 ; Markham, Houston 1
RBI: Piasecki, Aaron 2 ; Pyne, Josh 3 ; Janicki, Jimmy 3 ; Meier, Steven 1 ; Nelson, Drew 3 ; Boroff, Jabe 1 ; Markham, Houston 2
SF: Meier, Steven 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Piasecki, Aaron 2 ; Pyne, Josh 2 ; Cavill, Blake 2 ; Janicki, Jimmy 1 ; Meier, Steven 2 ; Nelson, Drew 1 ; Darnell, Sean 2 ; Boroff, Jabe 1 ; Markham, Houston 2
HBP: Piasecki, Aaron 1 ; Cavill, Blake 1 ; Meier, Steven 1 ; Boroff, Jabe 1 ; Markham, Houston 1
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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