By Michael Shipma

The Troy baseball team took advantage of poor pitching to rout Alabama State 8-0 on Tuesday night at Riddle-Pace Field.

The Hornets (16-11, 9-0 SWAC) recorded 10 walks in the game, three of which brought Trojan runners across home plate. Freshman pitcher Corey Gill got the start and the win for the Trojans, giving up just one hit and striking out three batters.

Alabama State struggled to get on base throughout the game, as Gill’s pitching forced numerous ground and fly outs. Troy’s excellent pitching resulted in the Hornets only recording three hits.

The Trojans (14-12, 3-6 Sun Belt) took advantage of Alabama State’s struggles from the mound, posting three runs in both the second and third innings to take a commanding 6-0 lead in the early going. Senior left fielder Cameron Sanders scored the Trojans’ first run of the game, coming across on a walk with the bases loaded. Freshman second baseman Brandon Lockridge brought in two more of those runs later in the inning on an RBI double to close out the inning.

In the fourth, junior first baseman Joey Denison recorded his eighth RBI of the season, batting in the Trojans’ fourth run of the night. Troy’s next two runs in the inning were unearned off of walks with the bases loaded.

Junior right fielder Trevor Davis extended the home team’s lead to seven runs in the sixth, batting in Lockridge with an RBI single to left field. Sophomore pinch hitter Brody Binder brought in another run in the seventh inning on an RBI double to center field to round out the game’s scoring.

Troy baseball returns to action on Friday, when it takes on New Orleans at home. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Game two will be played on Saturday at 3 p.m.