Darryl Lee tosses one hitter, Troy cruises by Piedmont 16-0

Troy head coach David Nelson said he had a tough time deciding whom to send to the mound Tuesday night. Judging by the final state line, he made the right call.

Pitcher Darryl Lee faced two over the minimum in his three innings of work, allowing just one hit. He also walked a batter. Lee used a dominating sweeping changeup that kept Piedmont hitter off balance as Troy rolled to the next round of the Alabama Dixie AAA State Tournament with a 16-0 win.

All Nelson could do was shake his head and smile at Lee’s performance.

“I was having trouble picking out a guy to start tonight, but thanks to Darryl I look like a genius,” said Nelson. “He made his fastball look Major League because he backed it up with that great changeup. He kept the hitters guessing all night long.”

At the plate, Troy plated six runs in the first inning and eight more in the second. They capped the scoring off with two runs in the third.

DeAndrey Henderson led Troy with three RBIs, all coming on a line drive triple in the second inning that broke the game wide open.

Drew Nelson, Bailey Sparrow and Nate Braisted all racked up two RBIs apiece. Braisted also hit a double.

“We hit the ball really well tonight,” Nelson said. “We have been hitting the ball hard all week, and eventually those balls are going to find gaps. They are doing that now, and we just have to keep it going the new few days. I like the way we are swinging.”

Troy will play the loser of Fairhope and Auburn Orange, who were playing as of press time, at 6 p.m. Wednesday.