up first conference victory

By STEVEN G. WATSON

Sports Editor

The Troy State Trojans managed to salvage a poor start to their Trans American Athletic Conference schedule Saturday as they took the final game of three games with Jacksonville 8-3.

The Dolphins (15-6 overall, 2-1 in TAAC play) ousted home-standing TSU (8-14, 1-2) 11-6 in the first game of the double header Saturday and 7-2 Friday giving them a season long nine-game losing streak to contend with.

Troy State starter Jason Bernard held the Dolphins’ batters, who had belted out 23 hits in the first two games, to only three hits in seven innings pitched. The two games were shortened due to NCAA double-header rules which state only seven innings will be played.

Never trailing in the game, TSU got a three-run home run out of Derrel Kirkland facing two outs and one more run in the second. JU made it a 4-3 ball game with scoring three in the next two innings, but Troy State put up three in the fourth and one in the bottom of the sixth to pick up their eighth win of the season and first in conference.

The Trojans’ bats also came alive in the second game of the day with Derrel Kirkland having a 2-for-4 showing and four RBI’s. Casey Smith also went 2-for-4, while Marek Driver went 2-for-2.

In the 11-6 loss TSU jumped out to 6-0 lead after the first three innings, but a huge fourth sealed the Trojans’ fate. The Dolphins got nine runs off six hits and two Trojan errors in the inning batting around the order.

Driver led the Trojans at the plate again with a 3-for-4 showing notching a double.

TSU will play Florida A&M today at 2 p.m.