Troy’s baseball team lost a close game to Louisiana, 7-6, on April 18 as the Ragin’ Cajuns evened the series at Riddle-Pace Field.
The game saw Troy (19-20, 9-8 Sun Belt Conference) trail for most of the contest. The Trojans scored just two runs in the first five innings against Louisiana’s left-handed pitcher Andrew Herrmann. Drew Nelson hit a solo home run in the fourth inning to put Troy on the board. In the sixth inning, Caden Reeves drove in another run with a double.
The Trojans mounted a comeback when Josh Pyne singled and Jimmy Janicki doubled him home in the seventh. Steven Meier then hit a two-run homer over right field, cutting Louisiana’s lead to one run. However, relievers Hayden Pearson and Garret Carter kept Troy scoreless through both the eighth and ninth innings despite base runners threatening.
Louisiana scored all seven of its runs during the third through fifth innings, including a two-run homer by Donovan LaSalle off Troy starter Tommy Egan. Egan pitched four innings and allowed six runs (four earned) on nine hits and two walks before leaving after a leadoff single in the fifth inning.
Cooper Ellingworth helped keep Troy within reach by pitching four strong relief innings with four strikeouts and no walks while allowing only one unearned run. Brock Tapper held Louisiana scoreless in the ninth inning as Drew Markle was thrown out at home plate trying to score from second base on Rigoberto Hernandez’s double after an accurate relay from Nelson and Pyne.
Saturday’s attendance was reported at 2,866 fans—the 14th largest crowd ever at Riddle-Pace Field. All nine Trojan starters recorded hits for the first time this season. Several players extended their streaks: Blake Cavill reached base for his 28th straight game; Josh Pyne and Sean Darnell extended theirs to twelve games; Nolan Book stretched his hitting streak to six games; Janicki, Nelson, Meier, and Cavill each pushed theirs to five games apiece.
Janicki also collected his fiftieth RBI of the season—leading all players in Sun Belt Conference play—while Nelson’s fourth-inning homer was his second career home run (361 feet). Meier’s two-run shot traveled 410 feet with an exit velocity of 105 miles per hour.
Head Coach Skylar Meade said: “Some of the lapses early come back to bite you because you’re in fight mode. There’s no conversation to be had about what level of fight we’re going to give. We’re going to fight every single pitch.”
The series finale between Troy and Louisiana is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at Riddle-Pace Field.