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Troy Athletics

Levi Thomas and a hot-hitting lineup propelled Troy to an 18-6 victory over Northern Kentucky on Opening Night at Riddle-Pace Field. Thomas fanned a career-high 14 batters in five innings, including seven straight to begin the game.

Troy’s bats were hot from the start as the Trojans pushed six runs across the plate in the bottom of the first. The newcomers shined bright early as Easton Kirk hit a three-RBI double off the wall in right-center field in his first swing as a Trojan. Kyle Mock then hit a two-run, opposite field home run in the first at-bat of his career.

The bats came alive again in the third inning as the Trojans scored six more runs. Freshman William Sullivan cracked a two-RBI double to left field to score Logan Cerny and Kyle Mock. The next at-bat, Reed Smith singled to center to bring Sullivan home. Senior Drew Frederic got in on the action with a double of his own, bringing home the final two runs of the inning.

The Trojans tacked on four more runs in the fourth, aided by a flurry of wild pitches and a Logan Cerny single to score Caleb Bartolero. Mock finished his night 3-4 after he hit a double to right center in the seventh inning, scoring Kirk. A single in the eighth from senior Dalton Sinquefield scored Frederic and put Troy’s 18^th, and final, run on the board.

Northern Kentucky finally got on the board in the seventh inning with two runs, followed by three in the eighth and one run in the ninth. Bryson Lonsbury was tagged with the loss for the Norse on the mound.