Battle-tested

Trojans back for more after district run

March 27, 2014 By Josh Brown Troy Daily News

MIAMI COUNTY — Two years ago, the Troy Trojans won the Greater Western Ohio Conference North Division title … but made an early exit from the postseason tournament.

 

Last year, the Trojans struggled throughout the regular season, only to go on to win the Division I sectional championship — upsetting a top 10 team in the state, Centerville, in the process — and finished the season as district runners-up.

 

This year, Troy would like to put those two things together into one consistently-strong-all-year-long season — and with an experienced pitching staff and a deep lineup coming back, the Trojans are poised to do just that.

 

“We put it all together at the end of last year,” Troy baseball coach Ty Welker said. The team finished last year with a 19-12 record. “We played some good, close games in the first couple rounds of the tournament, got a great win over state-ranked Centerville and then finally lost to another top 10 team because of one just bad inning.

 

“We lost a couple key pieces off of that team, but we return nine kids from last year’s team.”

 

The biggest holes to fill will be the ones left by departed graduates Dylan Cascaden and Devin Blakely.

 

“Dylan was a leader, a three-year varsity player, and Devin brought a lot of speed to the table,” Welker said. “Dylan led off for us, and we’re still looking for that leadoff guy, that table setter.”

 

One thing the Trojans won’t need to tinker with, though, is the pitching staff. The Trojans return seniors Zach Kendall and Ben Langdon, who have been clutch in some big games over the past two seasons, as well as juniors Trenton Wood and Ryan Lavy.

 

“We’ve got a lot of pitching coming back,” Welker said. “Those four guys threw a lot of innings last year. Zack and Ben both have three years of experience, and both have thrown in and won some pretty big games for us over the years. And Trenton and Ryan got some experience last year in key situations, too.”

 

Two years ago, it was Langdon pitching against Piqua in the final game of the regular season to help Troy win the GWOC North title. And last year, it was Kendall’s dominant performance in the sectional title game that helped the Trojans top the Elks.

 

“Zach threw a couple big games in the tournament, got a couple wins and a save,” Welker said. “That’s a pretty darn good tournament.”

 

One of the biggest changes will be the infield’s makeup — especially for senior Nick Sanders, who will move from second base last season to catcher. In his place, Dalton Cascaden and Alec Demore will battle for his vacated spot. And without Dylan Cascaden at short, Zach Thompson will move up from JV to fill that void. Seniors Alex Magoteaux and Kevin McGraw will be the only holdovers at third and first base, respectively.

 

“I’m pretty comfortable with the guys we’ve got up the middle,” Welker said. “We’ve worked hard on defense in the offseason — it’s always a big point of emphasis for me — and we worked through the winter trying to make us better in the infield.

 

“Zach is a good shortstop in his own right, and he was good for JV last year. He’s done a nice job for us so far this year. And with Dalton and Alec, they’re both good defensive players so it’s going to come down to who’s hitting. Whoever is hitting at that time is going to be in the lineup that day.”

 

Senior Greg Johnson will move to center field to occupy the spot left by Blakely, with Collin Moeller in left and Wood in right. Senior Kody Hackney and juniors Daniel Powell and Shane Zwierzchowski will back them up, with Lavy having the ability to play third, first or outfield.

 

“We’re in pretty good shape defensively in the outfield,” Welker said. “And Lavy can play just about anywhere. He’s going to be in the lineup every day somewhere because he can hit.”

 

Anthony Shoop will also see some time at catcher, while John Taylor can play third base and pitch.

 

And after a disappointing 6-4 second-place finish in the GWOC North last year, the Trojans are hoping to put together a strong run in the league in addition to the postseason this time around. But with tons of talent all around the division, it’s going to be a crapshoot as to who comes out on top.

 

“I think everyone’s going to be better this year,” Welker said. “Butler was young last year, is young this year — but they have both their pitchers back. They’re always a threat. Piqua’s returning its pitchers. They lost some bats, but they’re scrappy. We haven’t had an easy game against them in years. Greenville returns its best pitcher and hitter, Sidney returns its best pitcher, who was just a sophomore last year.

 

“It should be fun. I think we’ll all beat each other up a little bit. But that’s a good thing, too, because when it comes time for the tournament, we’ll be battle-tested.”

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Trojans pick up 1st win
April 5, 2014 By Josh Brown Troy Daily News

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TROY — Troy finally got to play a game in its home state. ​The Trojans also picked up their first win.

 

Coincidence?

 

One way or another, Troy (1-3) got solid pitching and defense and took advantage of its offensive opportunities when they came along — which proved to be often — routing Kenton Ridge 11-1 in five innings in what turned out to be an impromptu home opener for the Trojans at Market Street Field.

 

The game had originally been scheduled to be played at Kenton Ridge (1-2), but with field condition issues still lingering after all of the rain the past three days, the Cougars’ field was unplayable and Troy’s was ready to go. The Trojans have had three games rained out this week.

 

“It felt good to be playing,” Troy baseball coach Ty Welker said. “It felt good to be home, and it turned out to be a pretty nice day.”

 

Ryan Lavy got the win, striking out seven and scattering four hits, while the Troy defense played error-free baseball behind him.

 

“We had zero errors, and that’s a big deal for us,” Welker said. “Ryan pitched a nice game, got ahead of hitters and threw his curveball for strikes.”

 

The Trojans, meanwhile, scored their 11 runs on only eight hits, making the most of their chances. Greg Johnson was 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI, Trenton Wood and Lavy were both 1 for 2 with two RBIs and two runs and Alex Magoteaux and Collin Moeller both doubled.

 

“We scored some runs early, and in the past we’ve let up after doing that. But today we didn’t,” Welker said. “We got some hits with guys in scoring position, which was nice. We ran the bases well and did all of the little things we’ve been talking about that you need to do to win games.”

 

It also gives Troy some much-needed momentum, as it opens up Greater Western Ohio Conference North Division play with an away-home series against rival Piqua on Monday and Tuesday.

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Making their own breaks 

Troy Shuts Out Piqua 6-0 

April 8, 2014 By Josh Brown Troy Daily News

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TROY — Troy made its own breaks.

 

And when the Trojans put themselves into trouble spots, they worked their way out.

 

The rival Piqua Indians, meanwhile, had no such luck against Troy starter Ben Langdon, who threw a one-hit shutout in both teams’ Greater Western Ohio Conference North Division opener, while the Trojans broke the game open with a four-run third inning to claim a 6-0 victory at Market Street Field Tuesday.

 

Langdon struck out seven, walked three and hit two batters in the game, giving up only one hit — an infield single by Taylor Baumeisner in the third.

 

“Ben threw a heck of a game today” Troy coach Ty Welker said. “The one hit he gave up was an infield hit. And yet still we were on him a bit and want him to get better. He labored a little late in the game.”

 

And though the Indians (2-2, 0-1 GWOC North) were able to put runners on base in the later innings thanks to some patience at the plate, they went 0 for 8 in the game with runners in scoring position.

 

“He (Langdon) beared down and found ways to get out of tough situations. Hats off to him,” Piqua coach Jared Askins said. “We just couldn’t find a hole. And when we did hit the ball well, their defense made plays. That’s just the way baseball games go sometimes.”

 

Troy (2-3, 1-0 GWOC North), though, made the most of its chances.

 

Greg Johnson beat out a one-out infield single in the first inning, then he stole second base as the second out was being recorded on a strikeout. Kevin McGraw then ripped the first pitch he saw into right field for an RBI single to make it 1-0.

 

Both teams went down in order in the second, but in the bottom of the third Troy got to Piqua starter Cameron Gordon. Ryan Lavy led off with a single up the middle, then Johnson — who was attempting to sacrifice Lavy to second — laid down a perfect bunt that rolled down the first-base line, and he beat it out to put runners on first and second with no outs.

 

“We were just trying to bunt the runner over, but he bunts for a hit,” Welker said. “Because he’s got some speed and bunted it in the right spot … plays like that are momentum builders.”

 

Nick Sanders brought in a run with an RBI double over the center fielder’s head, putting runners on second and third, and then McGraw again jumped on the first pitch and ripped a two-run single up the middle. Two batters later, Trenton Wood drove in another run with an RBI groundout, and Troy led 5-0.

 

McGraw finished the game 3 for 3 with three RBIs — and only saw three pitches, each time swinging at the first pitch.

 

“He likes to swing,” Welker said of McGraw. “He’s been completely different mentality-wise this year, and he did exactly what he was supposed to do in that situation.”

 

Johnson was 3 for 4 and Wood was 1 for 3 with two RBIs, knocking in another run with a two-out single in the bottom of the fifth.

 

“We say the little things matter, and today we did all of the little things,” Welker said. “We bunted, we moved guys over, we ran the bases well — we just executed today. We did all of the little things offensively.”

 

Gordon threw a complete game for the Indians, giving up 11 hits while striking out eight and walking none.

 

“They found ways to get guys in scoring position, and when they did, they drove them in,” Askins said. “I didn’t think Cameron pitched a bad game at all. They just found holes with guys on, and we didn’t.”

 

The two teams meet again today at Hardman Field in Piqua in a game that was rained out on Monday.

 

“I told the kids that this is one day, and that tomorrow’s a new day,” Welker said. “We’ve got something to prove again today.”

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Trojans come from behind, sweep rival Piqua

April 9, 2014 By Josh Brown Troy Daily News

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PIQUA — Tuesday, everything went Troy’s way.

 

Wednesday, nothing went either the Trojans’ or Piqua Indians’ way.

 

In the end, though, Troy was able to overcome one bad inning — where Piqua scored four runs on only one hit — by plating four in the top of the sixth on a mere two hits, rallying to take the lead and holding on to sweep the rival Indians 6-4 Wednesday at Hardman Field to improve to 3-3 overall, 2-0 in the Greater Western Ohio Conference North Division.

 

Troy baseball coach Ty Welker liked the fight he saw from his team.

 

“You judge yourself when there’s adversity, not when everything’s going your way,” he said. “A win like that tells us something about this team, about the character it has.”

 

Troy took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third, cashing in a leadoff double by Ryan Lavy with an RBI single by Nick Sanders. But in the bottom of the inning, with standout Zach Kendall on the mound, everything that could go wrong did.

 

The first three batters in the inning drew walks, but Kendall got a popout to second for the first out. Piqua then failed to score on a fly ball to left as the runner on third wasn’t paying attention and didn’t remember to tag up — and suddenly it looked like the Trojans might get out of it unscathed.

 

A wild pitch brought in one run, though, and then Bryan Mayse hit a pop foul that the Troy defense dropped — a play that would have ended the inning. Instead, Mayse ripped a two-run double to give the Indians the lead. An error kept the inning going, then a fourth run came home on another wild pitch, giving the Indians (2-3, 0-2) a 4-2 lead.

 

Piqua scored its four runs on only one hit — Mayse’s double — three walks, two errors and two wild pitches.

 

“We understand exactly what happened in that inning,” Welker said. “When you walk three in a row, you put your own back against the wall. But Zach needs to be able to work his way out of those spots.”

 

Trenton Wood doubled and scored on an error in the top of the fourth to cut the Piqua lead to one, then the Trojans loaded the bases with no one out in the top of the sixth. But Piqua’s Austin Reedy came in and struck out three consecutive batters, and the Indians held onto the lead.

 

“You’re always trying to figure out what kind of team you are. Bases loaded, no one out and not getting anything out of it, I’ve been part of teams in the past that just couldn’t recover from something like that,” Welker said. “But this team showed its character today.”

 

Alec Demore — who eventually got the win — took over in relief and left the bases stranded in the bottom of the fifth, bringing up Troy in the fateful sixth inning. After Reedy recorded the first out, a walk, a hit batter and a single by Greg Johnson loaded the bases. Sanders — who was 3 for 4 with three RBIs in the game — blasted a two-run double off the base of the wall in right-center to tie the score, then Troy took the lead on a wild pitch. Peyton Cartwright entered for Piqua and got a strikeout for the second out, but an error allowed another run to score and make it 6-4 Troy.

 

Troy scored its four runs in the inning on two hits, three walks, a hit batter and two errors.

 

Demore left runners stranded on second and third in the bottom of the sixth, then Ryan Lavy came in and closed the door, striking out two and walking one in the seventh to earn a save.

 

“Ryan had no doubt in his mind that he was going to shut them down in the seventh. That’s the mentality a guy coming in in that situation needs,” Welker said. “After a game like this, we’re never going to consider ourselves out of a game again. We’re always going to battle to the end. We showed a lot of character to fight back today, and that’s nice to know about ourselves.”

 

Of course, that isn’t necessarily “Plan A.”

 

“We don’t want to be in that situation again, obviously,” Welker said with a chuckle. “We’d like to lead from start to finish in every game. But it’s nice to know we can battle back.”

 

Troy hosts Bellefontaine Friday in a 5:45 p.m. start.

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Troy baseball falls vs. Sidney

April 14, 2015 By Josh Brown Troy Daily News

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TROY — It was like night and day for the Troy baseball and softball teams on Monday.

 

The baseball team, on the other hand, fell behind 8-0 after three innings before battling back, with the rally falling one run short in an 8-7 loss at Market Street Field.

 

The Troy baseball team (3-5, 2-1 GWOC North), was not as fortunate. Sidney (2-5, 1-2 GWOC North) had three straight hits after a leadoff walk to start the first inning, and a fourth hit later in the inning made it 4-0, with the Yellowjackets’ first four batters of the game scoring. The Jackets then scored their next four runs without the benefit of a hit, scoring on a wild pitch in the second and cashing in two errors and a few walks and hit-batters in the third for three more to make it 8-0.

 

“We were a little shell-shocked I think,” Troy baseball coach Ty Welker said. “Ben (Langdon) struggled to find the strike zone a little, and when he did, they put the bat on the ball. That top of the first set the tone for the first half of the day. We kind of sat back on our heels and tought everything would just be given to us. We didn’t come out ready to play.”

 

But Troy fought back after that, scoring two in the fourth and three in the fifth to make it an 8-5 game. The Trojans cut the lead to one in the bottom of the sixth and had the potential tying run on second base, but a diving catch in the outfield by Sidney left the runner stranded.

 

Trenton Wood was 3 for 4 with an RBI for Troy, Nick Sanders was 2 for 2 with a double and an RBI and Alec Demore doubled and had an RBI.

 

Langdon pitched into the third inning and was the losing pitcher, and Ryan Lavy struck out seven in 4 2-3 innings of relief, walking none and giving up two hits.

 

“We did rally, we did fight at the end,” Welker said. “Down 8-0, we could have just quit and accepted a run-rule. But we fought back and kept chipping away, and that’s good to know that we won’t just quit.

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Troy Splits With Sidney - Wins Rematch

April 16, 2014  Staff Reports Troy Daily News

 

SIDNEY — After a disappointing loss on Monday at home, the Troy Trojans came up big when they needed to Wednesday at Sidney.

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Alex Magoteaux scored the eventual winning run on an error in the top of the sixth inning, and Zach Kendall pitched a complete game, working his way out of tough spots in both the sixth and seventh innings to preserve a 3-2 victory at Sidney in Greater Western Ohio Conference North Division play to salvage a split of the series.

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Kendall struck out nine, walked three and gave up five hits in the game to get the win. In the sixth inning, Sidney put runners on second and third with no one out, but Kendall got a short flyout to Trenton Wood in right that couldn’t get the tying run in, then Kendall struck out the next hitter and got another flyout to get out of the inning. And in the seventh, Sidney put runners on first and second with one out, but a strikeout and a wild pitch on a bunt attempt put runners on second and third with two outs.

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“That brought up (Connor) Echols, their best hitter,” Troy baseball coach Ty Welker said. “He hit a ball to left that probably would have been to the fence had the wind not been blowing in. But the wind knocked it down, and (Collin) Moeller made an easy catch for the last out.

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“It was a very exciting game. Sidney battled, but we really competed hard the whole game. And Zach, through the wind and the cold and in some really tough situations, he battled hard.”

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Kevin McGraw doubled and drove in a run for Troy and Magoteaux was 1 for 2 with an RBI and a run scored, coming around to score from second base on an error by Sidney’s third baseman in the top of the sixth that made the score 3-2 — where it stayed.

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Troy hosts Oakwood today and West Carrollton Friday.

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Cascaden’s walkoff hit preserves Troy win

April 18, 2014 By Josh Brown Troy Daily News

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TROY — Dalton Cascaden didn’t expect to be in the situation he found himself in.

 

He probably shouldn’t have been to start with — but he definitely made the most of it.

 

After Troy squandered a 7-1 lead it had built in just two innings, giving up six runs in the final two innings to allow West Carrollton to tie the score, Cascaden found himself up with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the seventh — and he ripped a clutch game-winning walkoff single to close out an 8-7 Trojan victory Friday at Market Street Field.

 

“I was relieved,” he said after getting the hit. “We should never have been in that situation, though. I didn’t expect to be at all.”

 

West Carrollton got a run in the top of the first, but Troy answered in a big way in the bottom of the inning. Nick Sanders tied the score with a huge one-out home run, then after a single by Trenton Wood and a walk by Kevin McGraw, Alex Magoteaux hit an RBI double down the first base line. The Pirates balked in another run and a fourth scored on a wild pitch to empty the bases — but Troy didn’t stop there. Daniel Powell and Cascaden hit back-to-back singles, then Zach Thompson ripped an RBI single up the middle. Ryan Lavy, the 10th hitter in the inning, finished things off with an RBI single, and Troy led 6-1. And after an error on a bloop in the bottom of the second, Troy held a 7-1 lead.

 

“We came out pretty strong,” Troy baseball coach Ty Welker said. “But you expect to keep scoring after that, and we just didn’t. Our intensity level dropped after that, and we should not have let that happen.”

 

The score was still that way through five innings, though, thanks to quality performances by starter Ben Langdon and reliever Jared Bair. Langdon gave up one hit and one run in two innings of work, striking out three, while Bair gave up no earned runs in four innings of work and piling up five strikeouts.

 

But in the top of the sixth inning, West Carrollton capitalized on a walk and a hit batter thanks to an error on a double play attempt.

 

“We always talk about just getting outs,” Welker said. “If we just get one out in that situation, it’s a big deal. But instead we go for the double play and throw it into right field, and two runs come in.”

 

Things got worse in the top of the seventh, though. Two walks and an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt loaded the bases, and a walk brought in a run for West Carrollton, making it 7-4. After Ryan Lavy entered the game, Mikel Merker hit an RBI single up the middle, and an error on the relay allowed a second run to score. An RBI groundout later, the score was tied.

 

But West Carrollton’s Tyler Wilson — who had done a decent job of shutting Troy down after entering in relief in the second inning — ran into control issues in the bottom of the seventh. Three straight four-pitch walks loaded the bases, but the Pirates were able to get an out at the plate on a dropped pop-up to short left field — bringing up Cascaden with one out, who was 1 for 3 at that point but had flown out to the warning track in left his last time up.

 

“I definitely wanted to be up in that situation,” Cascaden said. “I just missed that one before, it didn’t feel good off the bat. My approach was just to get the ball on the bat, and if it was a popup, it had to be deep enough to get the run in.”

 

Wilson continued to have control issues, going 3-1 to Cascaden, but a called strike brought the count full.

 

“I was thinking if it was anywhere close at all, I was swinging,” Cascaden said.

 

It was, and he did, blasting what would have been a bases-clearing double in any other situation to left field. But the one run it did bring in was all that mattered.

 

”We watched a ton of pitches that inning, and then Cascaden had a really good at-bat,” Welker said.

 

Troy (6-5) hosts Greenville Monday to kick off a key Greater Western Ohio Conference North Division series.

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Trojans Sweep Wave, Keep Pace in North 

April 23, 2014 By Josh Brown Troy Daily News

 

GREENVILLE — Troy extended its winning streak to four straight games on Monday with a narrow 2-1 Greater Western Ohio Conference North Division victory over Greenville at Market Street Field. And on Tuesday, the Trojans (8-5, 5-1 GWOC North) routed the Green Wave 8-2, sweeping the series and keeping pace with Butler atop the division.

 

Zach Kendall threw a complete-game five-hitter on Monday, striking out 10 and walking only one. Greg Johnson and Nick Sanders each drove in a run to give the Trojans the win.

 

And on Tuesday, Ben Langdon went the first three innings but left with a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the bottom of the fourth. Ryan Lavy came in and got out of the jam, though, and went the rest of the way to get the win, striking out five and walking one.

 

Greg Johnson had a two-run double that gave Troy a 3-1 lead early, and the Trojans piled on from there. Trenton Wood had a double and an RBI, Lavy was 4 for 5 with two RBIs, Kevin McGraw was 2 for 4 with a double and Daniel Powell was 2 for 4.

 

“It was pretty important (the sweep),” Troy baseball coach Ty Welker said. “But we’re trying to take it one game at a time. We worried about yesterday yesterday and today today, and we’re looking ahead, never looking back.”

 

Troy travels to Springfield Friday.

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Trojans’ streak snapped at 6 

April 26, 2014 By Josh Brown Troy Daily News

 

TROY —Missed opportunities, too many free passes … in the end, Saturday’s game between Troy and Fairmont truly came down to a single at-bat.

 

And after spoiling quality pitch after quality pitch from Troy starter Jared Bair, Fairmont’s Jaryd Murphy drove a 2-2 pitch to the gap in right-center for a two-out, bases-clearing three-run double that gave the Firebirds a 5-0 lead in the second inning, and the Trojans never truly recovered in a 7-2 loss Saturday at Market Street Field.

 

“He’s (Murphy) a good hitter, and you’ve got to battle to get hitters like that,” Troy baseball coach Ty Welker said. “Jared battled.”

 

Murphy — who gave the Firebirds (10-8) a 1-0 lead in the first inning with an RBI single — came up with the bases loaded and Fairmont up 2-0 after an RBI groundout by Chaney Morgan earlier in the second inning. Fairmont had loaded the bases on two hit-batters and a catcher’s interference call, and then they were reloaded on another hit-by-pitch after Morgan’s groundout.

 

Bair mixed offspeed pitches and fastballs well, with Murphy jumping out in front of and ripping foul the first couple pitches he saw to fall behind 0-2. But he fought off five more pitches and held back on a pair out of the zone until finally, on the 10th pitch of the at-bat, he guessed right and won the one-on-one battle.

 

“Jared battled, but that was a quality hitter,” Welker said. “Jared didn’t back down, and that was great to see. Sometimes you’ve just got to tip your cap to the other guy.”

 

It was only Fairmont’s second hit of the game, yet the Firebirds led 5-0 thanks to a series of walks and hit-batters. Bair went three innings, striking out four and allowing the two hits — both by Murphy — but surrendering two walks and hitting three more hitters. And that continued after Cody Hackney entered the game, too, as Hackney went the final four innings, walking three, hitting out, striking out one and allowing two hits.

 

“We just gave them too many gifts,” Welker said. “We walked too many guys, we hit too many guys, we gave them extra bases on steals and wild pitches. This game wasn’t about hits. It was about not getting the job done on the mound.”

 

But Troy — which had won six in a row coming into Saturday’s game — had chances of its own. Four times the Trojans got the leadoff hitter on in an inning, including back-to-back singles by Dalton Cascaden and Anthony Shoop to start the third. But a strikeout, a flyout and a groundout to short ended that threat with no damage, and Fairmont picked up another run in the top of the fourth to go up 6-0.

 

The Trojans finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth. Kevin McGraw walked to lead off, then Alex Magoteaux blooped in a single to put runners on first and second. Troy couldn’t get a sacrifice bunt down, though, and Fairmont starter Darren Kemp induced a popout for the first out.

 

Alec Demore beat out an infield single deep in the hole at short to load the bases with one out, but a pop to second put Troy’s back against the wall.

 

Shoopmade sure the Trojans didn’t leave empty-handed, though, ripping a double down the left-field line that scored two runs. A walk reloaded the bases, but a groundout kept Troy from doing any more damage, and the Trojans trailed 6-2.

 

“We hit the ball in the air a lot today,” Welker said. “We didn’t get a bunt down and we had two popouts in that inning. But Shoop had a good day and a couple of nice hits.”

 

All told, Troy left eight runners on base despite putting the majority of them on with one out or less in any given inning.

 

“We’ve been in situations like that where we get guys on but we fail to move them around and get them into scoring position,” Welker said. “We couldn’t get bunts down, and where we needed just a ground ball to put them in scoring position, we’d pop it up or fly out to the outfield today.”

 

Fairmont added one more run in the top of the seventh on a two-out RBI single by Morgan, and Austin Mahaffey came in in the seventh and set the Trojans down one-two-three to end the game and Troy’s winning streak.

 

The loss of momentum comes at a critical time, too, as Troy faces Greater Western Ohio Conference North Division rival — and current co-leader — Butler Monday and Tuesday. Both Troy and Butler share matching 5-1 records in division play, meaning whoever wins the series wins it all.

 

“That’s a big deal (failing to move runners or leaving them in scoring position),” Welker said. “We have to find ways to get those guys home. And we absolutely have to do that against Butler.”

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Plenty of missed chances

Aviators lead Trojans in 9th in suspended showdown

April 29, 2014 By Josh Brown Troy Daily News

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TROY —A wind-aided home run marring a stellar pitching performance.

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Runners in scoring position with less than one out in three different innings — including the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh and runners on second and third in the bottom of the eighth.

 

A misplayed ball in center field in the top of the ninth.

 

And lots of lighting.

 

Troy and Butler both had plenty of things go their way or the other Tuesday in a critical showdown between the two teams currently tied for the Greater Western Ohio Conference North Division lead. But in the end, an RBI triple in the top of the ninth by Alex Murphy on a ball misplayed by Troy’s center fielder broke up the tie score, giving Butler a 2-1 lead Tuesday at Market Street Field.

 

But then again, that wasn’t really “in the end,” as the umpires signaled a lightning delay immediately after Murphy’s hit, suspending the game in the top of the ninth and leaving both teams to come back and finish it at a later date. That date is likely Thursday, but details were still being made official late Tuesday night.

 

Troy remains 9-6, 5-1 in the GWOC North and still needs a victory today on the road at Butler to ensure that it still controls its destiny in its quest for a share of the league title. The Trojans still have a two-game series at Trotwood, which is winless in division play, while Butler (12-6, 5-1) faces a little stiffer competition against 3-4 Sidney next week. Should the Trojans win out, they still would clinch a share of the division crown.

 

Of course, they still have one more chance to turn around Tuesday’s game, too, despite all the chances they had to end it before the weather turned.

 

Troy jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning as Trenton Wood drew a leadoff walk and was promptly doubled home by Kevin McGraw. McGraw then took third on a groundout, but Butler’s Jacob Larger induced a pair of flyouts to end the inning without an further damage.

 

And for a while, that looked like all Troy starter Zach Kendall would need. Kendall cruised through the first three innings, allowing only one single by Murphy — who was promptly thrown out trying to steal by Troy catcher Nick Sanders — and another batter to reach on a strikeout on a ball in the dirt.

 

But with one out in the fourth inning, Chandler Craine hit a line drive to left that carried over the fence, and the score was tied 1-1.

 

“He probably only has one pitch he’d like to have back, that home run. Other than that, Zach did an outstanding job,” Troy coach Ty Welker said. “Butler didn’t pose a threat in any inning really. Zach located well and battled.”

 

Troy, meanwhile, had a number of chances to either extend or retake the lead. Still up 1-0 in the bottom of the third, Zach Thompson led off with a single and was bunted into scoring position by Ryan Lavy — something the Trojans executed to perfection three times in the game. And Greg Johnson followed with a single up the middle, putting runners on first and third with only one out. But Larger got a harmless pop to short and then a flyout to right to get out of the jam.

 

That’s the way the score remained until the bottom of the seventh. A leadoff single by Kevin McGraw and a sac bunt by Alex Magoteaux put the winning run in scoring position, but Larger got a strikeout to take some of the pressure off. After going 3-0 to Dalton Cascaden, the Aviators issued an intentional walk, then Thompson drew a walk to load the bases — but a lineout to left field ended that threat and sent the game to extras.

 

And in the bottom of the eighth, Johnson singled to lead off and was bunted to second by Sanders, and he then took third on a flyout to right. Larger intentionally walked McGraw and got a flyout to center to once again escape unharmed.

 

“I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t take advantage of our opportunities,” Welker said. “When you get guys into scoring position with less than two outs, you’re supposed to be able to get them in. We had a number of guys that had chances to win the game in those last two innings — and we hit it hard, too. Just right at people.

 

“We did what we were supposed to do to put ourselves in a position to win the game.”

 

In the top of the ninth, Damon Dues drew a leadoff walk for Butler, was bunted to second and took third on a groundout. Murphy hit one in the air to center, though, and Troy’s center fielder realized too late just how much the wind would carry it, and it went over his head for an RBI triple to make the score 2-1 Butler.

 

At the time the game was stopped, Kendall had eight strikeouts amd had given up two walks and three hits in 8 2-3 innings.

 

“Zach was at about 103 pitches going into the ninth, so it was going to be his last inning,” Welker said. “Still, he was in there battling with two outs. A guy just hit a curve and got it up into the jet stream. The center fielder would like to have that one back, too.”

 

Once the run came in, the umpires stopped the game due to lightning, and then the rain made sure that it wouldn’t be finished that night. Should the score in the suspended game hold, Troy would still be in line to win a share of the title with a victory today at Butler — but they’d like to get both just to be sure.

 

“The guys are not happy with the delay, but they’re not giving up either,” Welker said.

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Troy tops Butler, takes control in North 

April 30, 2014 By Josh Brown Troy Daily News

 

VANDALIA — After a couple of rough outings this season, Troy’s Ben Langdon felt he needed to do something.

 

So when he showed up for Monday’s regularly-scheduled start at Butler, the beard that he had sported throughout the season was gone.

 

The rain that day pushed that start to Wednesday — and Tuesday’s storms left the Trojans hanging trailing 2-1 in the top of the ninth inning against the Aviators, who the Trojans were tied with atop the Greater Western Ohio Conference North Division.

 

None of that weighed on Langdon, though. Going into Wednesday’s game a mountain of pressure — and one beard — light, he gave Troy exactly what it needed, holding Butler’s potent offense in check and giving the Trojan bats enough of a chance to start banging out clutch hit after clutch hit in an 11-6 victory at Butler.

 

“It was the shave,” Langdon said after the game with a laugh. “It was definitely the shave.”

 

Whatever the cause, Langdon and the Trojans (10-6, 6-1 GWOC North) weren’t dwelling on the missed opportunities from Tuesday night, or the fact that they still have to finish out that game, or even how badly that score meant they needed a win on Wednesday.

 

“When I saw Ben in the locker room earlier, and saw how at ease he was, I wasn’t worried,” Troy baseball coach Ty Welker said. “He was laid back, not tense at all, and that made me feel good.”

 

“I wasn’t thinking about it at all,” Langdon said of Tuesday’s game. “In fact, I was really proud of the team for how we all left that behind and moved on.”

 

The first inning began like Tuesday ended, though, with Troy leaving runners on base in the top of the inning and then a home run — this time by Dusty Lewis — putting the Aviators (12-7, 5-2 GWOC North) up 1-0.

 

But that quickly evaporated in the top of the second. Greg Johnson followed up a walk and an infield single by blasting a two-run double to the fence, and then Johnson scored on an RBI single by Trenton Wood to put the Trojans up 3-1.

 

“Mentality-wise, you worry after a situation like Tuesday,” Welker said. “If you walked by our dugout last night after the delay was called, it was as quiet as could be. But the kids came out today and did exactly what they were supposed to do.

 

“Even after that first inning, falling behind 1-0, we could have hung our heads. But we didn’t. We put the pressure on them and were definitely the aggressors.”

 

An infield single, a bloop single and a bunt single loaded the bases with no outs in Butler’s half of the third, though, but Langdon buckled down and kept the damage to a minimum. Lewis drew a bases-loaded walk and Alex Murphy drove in another run with a groundout to tie the score, but that was all Butler got.

 

Langdon threw six strong innings, giving up five hits, walking four and hitting a batter. All six runs were charged to him, but only four were earned. Ryan Lavy came in with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the seventh to close things out.

 

“Ben finally had the night he’s been wanting to have,” Welker said. “You can’t say enough about the job he did today. He buckled down a threw a nice game — and he’s got a lot of those for us in his career.”

 

“I knew this game was very important,” Langdon said. “This was probably as big as the GWOC title game that I pitched as a sophomore.”

 

And in the top of the fifth, the Trojan bats held up their half of the bargain.

 

Nick Sanders led off with a walk, then a hit-and-run single by Wood put runners on the corners. Kevin McGraw — who had a huge day at the plate — followed with an RBI single to chase Butler starter Murphy, and from there the Trojans feasted on the Aviator bullpen. Dalton Cascaden, Collin Moeller and Zach Thompson had three straight RBI hits at in the inning, with Moeller’s being a double as Troy took a 7-3 lead.

 

Butler got one run back in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out error, but the Trojans went right back to work in the top of the sixth. Sanders again drew a leadoff walk to kick things off, Wood walked and McGraw blasted a two-run double to the gap in right-center. Alex Magoteaux followed with an RBI single on a squeeze bunt, and Thompson drove in his second run of the game with a sac fly to give Troy an 11-4 lead at the time.

 

With the win, Troy is now in line to win at least a share of the GWOC North title even if it doesn’t rally in today’s completion of Tuesday’s suspended game. The Trojans had a two-game series against Trotwood to close out GWOC North play next week and will clinch a share of the title if it can win those two games. Butler, meanwhile, finishes up with a series against Sidney on Monday and Tuesday.

 

The Trojans could still win it outright, though, if they can come back today — things will kick off at 5 p.m. at Market Street Field with Butler hitting with two outs in the top of the ninth and a runner on third base.

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Sharing destiny

Troy, Butler tied for North lead after series split

May 1, 2014 By Josh Brown Troy Daily News

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TROY — It took only six minutes for Butler to finish off the damage it started back on Tuesday night.

 

But Troy had done plenty of damage of its own on Wednesday.

 

So on Thursday as both teams met at Market Street Field again to finish off Tuesday’s suspended game in the ninth, the Aviators tacked on one more insurance run and then set the Trojans down one-two-three in the bottom half of the inning to finalize a 3-1 Greater Western Ohio Conference North Division victory — one that merely means that both teams control their own destiny and are in line to share the league title after the series split.

 

The game had been suspended due to lightning immediately after Alex Murphy hit a two-out triple that put Butler (13-7, 6-2) up 2-1 in the top of the ninth inning, putting Troy’s back to the wall.

 

“After two nights ago, after that triple with two outs and then the lightning, our question was can we recover from this?” Troy baseball coach Ty Welker said. “Our dugout was quiet, guys were disappointed — and we knew we had to go to their place the next day.”

 

But the Trojans (10-7, 6-2) responded in a big way on Wednesday, beating the Aviators 11-6 on the road to put the pressure back on Butler to finish off Tuesday’s game.

 

“Even though we fell behind Tuesday, and even though we lost today, we still went to their place on Wednesday and took care of business decisively,” Welker said. “As much as we hate to lose any game, and as much as we wanted to rally and win this one today, we’re still in a better place today than we were two days ago.”

 

Troy found itself in the exact same place it left off two days ago — on the field, at least — with Murphy standing on third base after his go-ahead triple with two outs in the top of the ninth. Ryan Lavy, who closed out the seventh in the Trojans’ win on Wednesday, took the hill to replace Zach Kendall, who threw a tremendous 8 2-3 innings on Tuesday.

 

But Butler’s Nic Martin lined Lavy’s first pitch into left field for an RBI single, giving the Aviators a 3-1 lead. Lavy induced a groundout to end the top of the inning, bringing up Troy’s seven-eight-nine hitters in the bottom of the ninth. Butler’s original starter for the game, Jacob Larger, returned to the mound and got a groundout and a pair of strikeouts to put an official end to the game.

 

Thursday’s action began at 4:56 p.m. and ended at 5:02 p.m.

 

Kendall’s final line in the game was three hits, two walks, three runs and eight strikeouts over 8 2-3 innings. Larger gave up five hits, walked two and struck out four in a complete game, giving up only an RBI double to Kevin McGraw back in the second inning and leaving eight runners stranded on base — including five over the seventh and eighth innings combined.

 

Still, Troy and Butler both go into next week controlling their own destinies — but with the Trojans having a slightly better grip and easier road. Troy’s final two GWOC North games are against 0-9 Trotwood, which has been outscored 172-2 this season according to the GWOC website and lost to Greenville 39-0 Wednesday night. The Aviators, meanwhile, face 6-10 Sidney, with both of those series on Monday and Tuesday.

 

Welker knows the position his team is in — and he knows they still have to be ready to play, no matter what the situation.

 

“We’ve got to make sure we stay focused and ready to go. We’ve still got to execute and play baseball,” Welker said. “Butler still has a team to play, too. But if we take care of our business and win out, the worst we can do is co-division champions.

 

“We say all year long that it’s a 10-round heavyweight fight. Each game is a round, and we’ve only lost two in eight rounds so far. We feel pretty good about that — but we’ve still got two rounds to go. There’s still one week of the season left to play.”

 

Troy will tune up for the Trotwood series today at Lebanon and on Saturday at home in a doubleheader against Tippecanoe.

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Trojans take two from Devils in doubleheader

May 3, 2014 By Josh Brown Troy Daily News

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TROY — A visit from an inter-county rival — and a mammoth first-inning home run by Greg Johnson — provided the cure for Troy’s post-Butler hangover.

 

Tippecanoe, meanwhile, would probably be happier not playing baseball on Saturday after the past two.

 

Johnson hit a two-run homer that went over both the Market Street Field fence and over the softball field next door’s outfield fence that set the tone for the opener of a doubleheader Saturday, and Collin Moeller also hit a two-run shot in a 10-3 Trojan victory over the Red Devils to start the day. And while Tippecanoe was able to keep pace with the scoring in the second game, the Trojans still were able to answer and push the winning run across in the bottom of the sixth to complete the sweep, 6-5.

 

Troy (12-8) had a long week. After falling behind in the top of the ninth in a tense game against league rival Butler Tuesday that was suspended, the Trojans bounced back with a convincing 11-6 win the next day. Then after falling in the completion of Tuesday’s game on Thursday, the Trojans were three-hit and blown out by Lebanon on Friday, 10-0.

 

“We were really looking to see how we rebounded after a game like that,” Troy coach Ty Welker said. “Much like earlier in the week when we came back the next day and played well, we came back today and beat a good baseball team.”

 

For Tippecanoe (17-5) — which was swept in a Saturday doubleheader for the second straight week after Olentangy Liberty did it last week — it was just a question of pitching depth — something the Devils normally have an answer for. But after using four pitchers in a big league win against Bellefontaine Friday, and with a two-game league series against Springfield Shawnee Monday and Tuesday followed directly by the completion of a suspended game against Bellefontaine on Wednesday — a game that sits 0-0 in the sixth inning — Tippecanoe just has to be careful who it uses and for how long.

 

“The bottom line is that it comes down to Saturday pitching,” Tippecanoe coach Bruce Cahill said. “We’re throwing two freshmen today, and they’re going to be good someday. They’re pretty good right now even. But we’ve just got to have someone to eat up innings on days like today”

 

And freshman Brad Calhoun was tested early by Troy. After Ryan Lavy drew a walk to lead off, Johnson hammered a ball that would have been long gone even without the assistance of a strong wind, putting Troy up 2-0 in the first. Kevin McGraw and Trenton Wood followed with back-to-back one-out singles, but Calhoun was able to work his way out of trouble.

 

Tippecanoe, who entered the day as the No. 2 team in Ohio in Division II, fought back in the top of the second. Justyn Eichbaum led off with a triple and was singled home by Aaron Hughes with one out, then Hughes was able to tie the score at 2-2 on a two-out throwing error.

 

But again, Troy was quick to respond in the bottom of the inning. Collin Moeller doubled and was driven in on a single by Daniel Powell to give the lead back to Troy, then Johnson followed with an RBI single to make it a 4-2 game and chase Calhoun after 1 1-3 innings. Eichbaum came in and eventually finished off the game, but two more runs scored in the second on a series of wild pitches to make it 6-2.

 

Troy added two more runs in the fifth on a two-run blast by Moeller, and two more in the sixth on an RBI sac fly by Wood and an RBI single by Alex Magoteaux.

 

“Calhoun was 4-0 coming in, but he’s still working on his out pitches,” Cahill said. “We knew if we didn’t keep pace with their scoring, something like this would happen. Today is just a hitter’s day, and we didn’t match them.”

 

“It was good for us to come out and swing the bats the way we did,” Welker said. “Especially against a good baseball team like Tipp. A lot of these guys know each other, play with or against each other in the summer, so this is a good local rivalry.”

 

Ben Hughes hit an inside-the-park home run for the Devils in the fifth that made it 6-3 at the time, but that was the only blemish Troy starter Ryan Lavy had after the second inning. Lavy went six innings for the win, striking out four, walking two and giving up five hits and two earned runs. Zach Kendall pitched the seventh to close the game out.

 

The second game went back and forth, as both teams scored two in the first then Tipp took a 4-2 lead in the top of the fourth. Troy answered with three in the bottom of the inning, though, Tipp tied in the the fifth and Troy won it in the sixth.

 

Dalton Cascaden got the win in relief of Jared Bair for Troy, and Ben Langdon pitched the seventh for a save. Zack Blair got the loss for Tipp, giving up nine hits in a complete game.

 

Johnson continued his big day, going 1 for 3 with a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored. Nick Sanders was 3 for 4 with a double, an RBI and two runs and Cody Hackney was 2 for 3 with a double, while Evan Gilliam doubled for the Red Devils.

 

“We fought hard,” Welker said. “Every time they’d score, we’d answer right back. The boys worked hard and beat a really good baseball team.”

 

Troy faces Trotwood in a home-and-away series on Monday and Tuesday and will clinch at least a share of the Greater Western Ohio Conference North Division title if it wins both games — and then it will be rooting for Sidney to knock off Butler so that it can win the title outright. Tippecanoe, meanwhile, will clinch the outright Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail Division title with a win in any of its three league games Monday through Wednesday.

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Troy baseball wins North outright

Butler loss gives Trojans 2nd title in 3 years

May 6, 2014 By Josh Brown Troy Daily News

 

TROTWOOD — On Monday, Troy and Butler kept pace with each other atop the Greater Western Ohio Conference North Division standings, with the Trojans blanking Trotwood 10-0 and Butler holding off Sidney 6-3.

 

But with Troy’s 16-1 victory at Trotwood Tuesday in five innings, it all came down to the final game between the Aviators and Yellowjackets — which meant some non-traditional scoreboard watching on the bus on the way home.

 

“We had a parent that works in Sidney getting texts from other parents at that game, and as we were getting on the bus it was 7-3 Butler,” Troy baseball coach Ty Welker said. “They got it back to 7-6 in the fifth, and in the bottom of the sixth Sidney got the leadoff guy on, a guy tripled, Butler threw the ball away and he scored to put Sidney up 8-7. As we were getting off the bus, there were already two pitches, two outs in the top of the seventh. They threw a one-two-three inning, and the guys piled up on the football field.”

 

Troy’s win made it 8-2 in GWOC North play, 14-8 overall, and Butler’s 8-7 loss made the Aviators 7-3 in the division, giving the Trojans their second outright division title in the past three years. Before 2012, the last time the Trojans won the league title was 1991.

 

“It was a very unique way to do it this year,” Welker said with a laugh. But that pretty much describes our team. I’m proud of our boys. We work every day in the fall, in the hallways, in the weight room, and our goal is to win the league title every year. This is all about them, for them.”

 

Alec Demore struck out 10, walked none and gave up two hits in Tuesday’s win. Zach Thompson and Shane Zwierzchowski doubled, Cody Hackney was 3 for 4 with two RBIs and Dalton Cascaden had two hits in the division-clinching win.

 

Troy returns to action Thursday at Beavercreek.

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Kendall blanks Skyhawks         

May 9, 2014 By Josh Brown Troy Daily News 

 

TROY — Zach Kendall pitched like he has all year.

 

Alex Demore and Collin Moeller continued to heat up as they have the past couple of weeks.

 

And in the end after threatening the first couple of innings but getting nothing, Troy (15-9) broke through Friday against Fairborn and Kendall tossed a four-hit shutout — and got a pair of big plays at the plate to preserve it — in a 5-0 Trojan victory at Market Street Field.

 

With the way Kendall was throwing — and the way the defense was playing — all Troy was likely to need was one run.

 

After giving up a one-out walk and a stolen base in the first inning, Kendall struck out the next two batters to leave a runner in scoring position. Fairborn got a leadoff double in the second, but again Kendall worked his way out of trouble. And in the third, Fairborn (10-16) tried to score a runner from second on a bunt after Kendall had thrown to first for one out, but Demore threw home to starting catcher Tyler Lambert — a JV call-up — who applied the tag to finish off the double play.

 

And in the fourth, Fairborn threatened again with a one-out double followed directly by a single up the middle, but center fielder Greg Johnson threw it in to Kevin McGraw, who relayed it to Alex Magoteaux at the plate to nail another runner trying to score from second.

 

After that, Kendall set down the next seven he faced before hitting the leadoff hitter in the ninth. That runner made it to third with one out, but Kendall got two strikeouts to close out the game. He finished with 10 strikeouts, one walk and two hit-batters.

 

“Zach threw the ball well and battled today,” Troy coach Ty Welker said. “He did exactly what he’s supposed to do, exactly what he’s done all year for us.”

 

Still, Troy needed to put some numbers up of its own to actually post the win. In each of the first two innings, however, the first two batters reached base with no one out — and the Trojans came up empty both times.

 

“We were concerned early on since we left so many guys on base,” Welker said. “Twice we got two on with no outs and couldn’t score. You just can’t do that. But we finally scored in the third and broke it open.”

 

Kevin McGraw hit a one-out double to start the third-inning rally, and Trenton Wood was hit by a pitch to put two on again. After a flyout and a wild pitch put runners on second and third with two outs, Demore came up with a clutch double by driving the ball to the gap in right-center, plating both runners to give Troy a 2-0 lead. Moeller followed that up with an RBI single past a diving Fairborn shortstop, scoring Demore from second to make it a 3-0 game.

 

“Alex has been hitting well, and Collin hit the ball hard on the ground today,” Welker said. “Fly balls get caught. I like hard line drives or ground balls, and Collin did a good job of hitting those today.”

 

Moeller finished the day 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run, scoring on an RBI single by pinch hitter Dalton Cascaden in the fifth, and Demore added a third RBI on a sac fly in the sixth inning.

 

“Alec has been hitting well the past couple weeks, and Collin is coming on, too,” Welker said. “About the middle of last week, Collin started swinging the bat better and putting the ball in play and hitting to all fields, so he’s been in the lineup more. He’s earned it.”

 

All of Troy’s RBIs on the night came from hitters in the sixth spot in the lineup or lower, a turn from the weekend’s doubleheader sweep of Tippecanoe where the majority of the production came from the top and meat of the order.

 

“That’s the way we’ve been all season. If you look at our stats, there’s not one person dominating — which is nice,” Welker said. “When we get guys in scoring position, I feel comfortable with whoever is coming up. There’s no easy out in the lineup, and that’s a sign of a good team.”

 

Troy finishes the regular season at Northmont today before kicking off tournament play Thursday at home with the winner of Monday’s Wayne-Greenville game.

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Kendall Ks 14 in win

Troy advances to semi sectional final with 5-2 win

May 15, 2014 By Josh Brown Troy Daily News

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TROY — Troy’s Zach Kendall was very humble after Thursday’s effort, giving the credit to the Trojans’ defense.

 

“I’ve got a great defense behind me, and that gives me a lot of confidence,” the Bowling Green-bound hurler said. “It lets me go out and just pound the strike zone like I’m supposed to do.”

 

And because of the pounding he gave the strike zone on Thursday, that defense had very little work to do as Kendall struck out 14 hitters — including four in a row early in the game and then five straight to end it — and the Trojans came from behind with a four-run fourth inning to defeat Greenville 5-2 in a Division I sectional baseball game at Market Street Field and advance to next week’s sectional final.

 

Last year, Kendall struck out 10 in the sectional title game against then-state-ranked Centerville in Troy’s biggest win of the season.

 

“We had a drought for four years before last year where we didn’t win a tournament game,” Troy coach Ty Welker said. “We won two last year, and it’s nice to get another win here. We’ve got enough experience from last year back to know how important these tournament games are.”

 

“It feels good,” said Kendall when asked about getting the ball in those big games. “It’s always good to be the guy on the mound — but you can’t always be there, so you’ve got to do what you can while you’re there.”

 

Greenville struck first, though. Quentin Wood bunted for a hit to lead off the game and went to third on a hit-and-run single by Cole Ward. After Kendall struck out the next batter, Ryan Eldridge hit a sac fly to bring in the run and make it 1-0 Green Wave.

 

Troy answered quickly, though, as Ryan Lavy drew a leadoff walk and Greg Johnson rocked an RBI triple to the fence in center. But the Trojans left runners stranded on second and third, and the game was tied at 1-1.

 

The Trojans had a golden opportunity in the third, loading the bases with no one out. But Greenville starter Austin Baumgardner struck out the next two hitters and induced a ground ball to get out of it unharmed.

 

“We had a couple situations where we let them off the hook,” Welker said. “We leave guys on second and third, then the next inning we go one-two-three on five pitches. Then we leave the bases loaded with no outs. I thought we were going to let Zach down after letting those opportunities pass.”

 

Greenville then took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth on a two-out RBI single by Logan Eldridge, but even then, Kendall wasn’t concerned.

 

“I’ve got full confidence in our hitting,” he said. “I don’t get nervous very much, unless it’s really late in a game and we need three or four runs. I’ve got faith in our offense.”

 

And in the bottom of the fourth, the Troy offense showed that faith was not misplaced.

 

Alec Demore drew a walk to lead off, then Collin Moeller was hit by a pitch. Zach Thompson bunted the runners to second and third, and Ryan Lavy hit a grounder to first base. Greenville’s first baseman threw home, but Demore beat the throw and the tag, sliding in safely to tie the game up. Johnson then hit a double play ball to short, but the shortstop threw the ball away at second, allowing Troy to take a 3-2 lead on the play.

 

Kevin McGraw and Trenton Wood — the two hitters that struck out with the bases loaded in the third — followed with back-to-back redeeming RBI singles, and Troy held a daunting 5-2 lead.

 

“The same guys that didn’t get hits with the bases loaded came up with solid hits there,” Welker said. “That’s baseball — you always get another chance.”

 

That was plenty for Kendall, who didn’t give up a hit the rest of the way — but did allow his defense to make one quality play as Trenton Wood caught a fly ball and doubled a runner off second base to end the fifth inning. Kendall got a grounder to short to start the sixth and then struck out the next five hitters to finish off the four-hitter.

 

Troy plays in the sectional title game May 22 at Centerville against the winner between Piqua and Miamisburg — a game that was postponed on Thursday.

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