The Troy Trojans traveled to Gainesville, Fla., to compete in the Florida Invitational Softball Tournament on the campus of the University of Florida this past weekend. 

Troy finished the tournament with a record of 3-2, earning wins over Western Michigan and Florida A&M. 

Troy opened the tournament with a 7-4 win over Western Michigan on Feb. 28. Caiden Oliva led Troy at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs and one run. McKinnon Howard went 2-for-3 with two runs, while Sarah Beth Brake hit a double. 

Mya Holt earned the win in the circle, giving up six hits and one earned run in five innings pitched. Alyssa Faircloth pitched one inning and fanned three batters, while giving up no hits or runs. Oliva also earned 12 putouts and a double play with no errors on defense. 

Troy followed that up with a 5-4 loss to Samford later in the day. Troy led 3-2 going into the sixth inning when Samford’s Grier Bruce blasted a three-run home run to put the Bulldogs up 5-3. For Troy, Oliva answered right back with a solo home run in the seventh inning to cut the lead to one run but Troy could not get back into scoring position. 

Oliva went 2-for-3 at the plate with a homer, one RBI and two runs, while Howard went 2-for-3. Makaley Boswell also scored two runs. Faircloth pitched all six innings and struck out seven batters, while giving up seven hits and three earned runs. Brantley’s Kayden Dunn earned three putouts on defense. 

Troy rebounded to beat Florida A&M by a score of 6-1 on March 1. Taylor McKinney hit a triple and Rebekah Johnson earned a double for the Trojans. McKinnon, Natalie Turner, Mia Tidmore, Megan Loftis, McKinney and Boswell scored one run each. Holt pitched all seven innings and fanned two batters, while giving up eight hits and one earned run. Dunn earned 11 putouts and a double play with no errors on defense. 

Later in the day, Troy fell 11-2 to host Florida. The Gators blasted four home runs against Troy. For the Trojans, Turner and McKinnon each scored one run. Kate Peters pitched three and 1/3 innings and fanned one batter, while giving up six hits and one earned run. Reese Green earned four putouts and one assist, while Howard also earned four putouts. 

Troy closed out the tournament with a second win over Western Michigan, this time by a score of 9-0, on March 2. Oliva had another big day at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double, one RBI and two runs. Boswell, McKinney, Loftis, Reaghan Oney, Annie Orman, Holt and Turner scored one run each. Faircloth pitched all six innings and mowed down nine batters, while giving up two hits and securing the shutout. 

Troy remains on the road on March 5 against Auburn at 6 p.m.