Troy to play for state championship today
Published 9:11 pm Tuesday, July 10, 2012
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Troy players celebrate after winning the American Bracket Championship game during the state tournament in Enterprise, Ala., Tuesday, July 10, 2012. (Messenger Staff Photo/Thomas Graning)
Troy lost its opening round game of the AA State tournament in Enterprise against AUM Green, 2-0.
Head coach David Nelson knew his team was better than that.
“I don’t think we swung the bat hard in that first game,” Nelson said. “We regrouped and played more like Troy.”
Troy would go on to defeat Daphne 16-3, AUM Gold 16-1 and got revenge on AUM Green 8-5 all in the losers bracket and facing elimination.
“These guys played hard and have what they needed to do to win,” Nelson said.
Troy knocked of unbeaten Hueytown in the American bracket championship elimination game, 9-2, then again in the ‘if-necessary’ game 12-10 to earn a berth in state championship series.
In the final game, Troy took a 2-1 lead in the first inning on Press Jefcoat’s single that scored Nate Braisted and Darryl Lee.
Hueytown tied the game in the second inning but it wouldn’t take long for Troy to reclaim the pilot’s seat in the bottom half.
Laquavian Rodgers doubled to lead off the inning then Bailey Sparrow reached on an error to plate a run. A double by DeAndrey Henderson scored Sparrow.
Hueytown would take 9-8 advantage in the fifth after scoring four runs. Troy would respond with four runs of its own to pull ahead 12-9 and close the door despite allowing a run in the sixth.
Noah Prestwood, Brady Huner, Adrain Cardwell, Skylar Kidd, and Ben Reeves all had hits for Troy.
Troy will play Oxford in a best-of-three series beginning Wednesday. The teams will play a doubleheader with a 5 p.m. start time.