A two-hour rain delay didn’t dampen the momentum of the Troy Machine Pitch tournament team, as the team beat Tuscumbia 13-0 Friday in the first round of the state tournament.

With a one-week layoff since winning their district championship, Troy had to battle rust early in the ball game. Even though Troy was able to score a few runs to begin the game, they hit their stride in the third inning, scoring seven runs and putting the game out of reach for Tuscumbia.

“We didn’t start hitting the ball real well until the third inning,” head coach Adam Brookins said. “We had a big third inning by scoring seven big runs. That was really big for us.”

After the long rain delay, the fielding conditions were slow to improve and Brookins said that played a factor in how the game was played.

“The ground was soft tonight,” Brookins said. “We didn’t hit the ball that hard tonight but they were able to find some holes. Tuscumbia was playing deep and we were able to put the ball where they weren’t playing.”

Troy’s defense stepped up and held Tuscumbia scoreless throughout the ball game. “We played really well on defense tonight. With that ground being so soft, it turned a lot of hits into outs,” Brookins said. “That helped us a lot tonight.”

Brookins said the win was important for his team. “It was the first time for them, playing in a big tournament like this. It was big for them because they were able to get the butterflies out of the system. They were a little rusty at the beginning of the game, but they were able to knock some of that rust off.”

Cole Pugh, Cason Boothe, and Cade Edwards led the way for Troy Friday night with three hits each.

With the win, Troy now sets their sites on Saturday when they matchup in a second round game against Eufaula at 12:45 p.m.