Troy University defeated Appalachian State University 10-3 in the baseball series finale at Riddle-Pace Field, according to a May 3 announcement. The Trojans rallied from a three-run deficit by scoring ten consecutive runs and relying on strong relief pitching.
The win is significant for Troy as it keeps them in fifth place in the Sun Belt Conference standings, just one game behind South Alabama and one ahead of Louisiana. The result also marks Troy’s ninth victory in twelve series finales this season.
Drew Nelson played a key role both as designated hitter and pitcher. He relieved starter Hayden Smith with two runners on base in the fourth inning and managed to escape without allowing any runs. Nelson went on to pitch 4.1 scoreless innings, giving up only two hits while striking out three batters. “Total respect for App State’s lineup. Those guys can really swing it. Being able to challenge them and trust my stuff was big,” Nelson said.
Dylan Alonso contributed by securing his team-high sixth save of the season after getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning and retiring the top of App State’s order in the ninth. Head Coach Skylar Meade said, “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.” Catcher Jimmy Janicki added, “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.”
Offensively, Blake Cavill drove home three runs for his third such game this season while Janicki extended his hitting streak to fourteen games with four RBIs—bringing his total RBIs to sixty-five for first place among Sun Belt players.
Looking ahead, Troy will host No. 21 Alabama at Riddle-Pace Field before concluding its homestand against South Alabama next weekend.
