Troy Baseball drops conference series with Georgia State
Published 10:55 am Monday, March 20, 2023
- Photo courtesy of Troy University Athletics
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The Troy Trojans (13-7, 0-3) opened up conference play this weekend on the road at Georgia State (12-8, 3-0), dropping all three games to the Panthers.
After Troy jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, the Trojans lost 10-9 in the series opener on March 18. Georgia State exploded by scoring eight runs in the fourth inning and taking a 9-3 lead into the seventh. Troy managed to outscore Georgia State 6-1 in the final three innings but it wasn’t enough as the Panthers held on for the conference win.
Kyle Mock went 3-for-4 at the plate for Troy with a home run, a double, an RBI and one run, while Shane Lewis went 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs, three RBIs and two runs. William Sullivan also belted a home run as he went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs. Lewis currently ranks second in the country with 11 home runs.
Brady Fuller took the loss on the mound, striking out eight batters, while giving up seven hits and eight earned runs in four innings pitched. Kristian Asbury struck out a pair of batters and gave up four hits and two earned runs in two and 1/3 innings pitched. Sullivan and Ethan Kavanagh had a double play on the defensive end.
Georgia State dominated game two, scoring 10 straight runs in the first five innings and walked away with a 15-5 win to secure a series victory. In game two, Mock went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Hudson Hartsfield went 2-for-4 with a run. Zach Fruit pitched four innings and fanned six batters, while giving up six hits and seven earned runs. Keaton Fuller also pitched two and 2/3 innings with one strikeout, while giving up five hits and six earned runs. Lance Gardiner, Caleb Bartolero and Kavanagh each earned a double play, as well.
Game three saw the two sides battle back-and-forth for the first four innings before Georgia State grabbed a 12-3 lead in the fifth inning. The Trojans attempted to rally in the eighth, scoring three straight runs, but couldn’t get any closer as the Panthers held on for a 12-6 win to complete the conference sweep.
Kavanagh went 3-for-5 for Troy with an RBI and a run, while Lance Gardiner went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run one RBI and one run. Brady Moore also hit his first career home run in the loss.
Grayson Stewart pitched two and 2/3 innings with four strikeouts along with 10 hits and seven earned runs allowed. Ben Thompson struck out six batters and gave up three hits and one earned run in three innings on the mound. Gardiner and Sullivan each earned a double play on defense.
Troy will look to rebound this Wednesday, March 22, at home against Florida A&M in a non-conference game at 6 p.m. followed by a conference series at home against ULM this weekend.