Troy baseball returns talented, experienced group to diamond
By Robbin Kiser - March18, 2022 Miami Valley Today
TROY — Troy baseball coach Ty Welker is excited about what he sees heading into the season, after going with a young team last season.
“We return four juniors on the mound that started for us last season,” Welker said. “We have some other guys that can step in as well. The left side of our infield will be a strength. I think we will be a different team swinging the bat this year. These guys can hit. Outfield was a question mark for us last year and it still will be a little bit of a question mark.”
Back on the mound for Troy will be juniors Brian Allen, Andrew Helman, Connor Hutchinson and Trayce Mercer. Allen was 5-2 a year ago with a 1.736 ERA. He had 46 strikeouts in 40 innings and also had two saves.
Helman was 3-3 with a 2.697 ERA. He had 42 strikeouts in 36 innings.
Mercer was 6-2 with a 3.426 ERA and had 45 strikeouts in 47 innings.
Hutchinson was 1-1 with three saves. He had a 3.675 ERA.
Also seeing action on the hill will be seniors Braden Cole, Ryan Martz and Daniel Rekow, junior Jacob Lucas, sophomores Evan Kaiser and Caleb Akins and freshman Hayden Frey.
“The juniors are way ahead of where the juniors normally are,” Welker said. “They have pitched against the Vandalias and in tough non-conference games. They have been with coach (Heath) Murray and our staff.”
Junior Owen Harlamert returns at the catching position along with Akins.
Harlamert batted .214 a year ago with one double, two home runs and 12 RBIs.
“The catcher controls the game,” Welker said. “So, that is huge to have him back. And Caleb (Akins) can give him a breather back there (behind the plate) and push him to get better.”
The left side of the infield is set with sophomore Ryder Kirtley and Hutchinson.
Kirtley batted .276 as a freshman with six doubles, three triples and 12 RBIs. He also stole 17 bases.
Hutchinson batted .288 with five doubles, a triple, 12 RBIs and 11 stolen bases.
“Both of them are D-I commits,” Mercer said. “Ryder committed to Virginia Tech and Connor to Ball State. So, that makes us pretty strong on the left side.”
Helman and Akins will both see action at second base, while a host of players will share time at first base.
“We have a bunch of guys who can play first base,” Welker said.
Welker hopes to be better in the outfield.
Junior Nick Kawecki will handle centerfield duties, while junior Eli Donnan and senior Kale Francis will be in left field. Donnan batted .304 a year ago.
Martz and Kaiser are among those who could see action in right field, while junior Eli Smith will provide pop with his bat as designated hitter.
“Nick Kaweicki is back after missing last season with an injury,” Welker said. “Left field and right field could be whoever is hitting for us.
Eli Donnan swung the bat well for us last year.”
Troy will face a tough schedule again as usual.
In the MVL, Welker said Butler is the team to beat.
“It seems like they are always the team we are talking about,” Welker said. “They lost a lot, but that doesn’t matter. Coach (Trent) Dues is always going to have them ready. Tippecanoe has a new coach (Bryan Gronski) and I am sure he will continue the success they had under Bruce Cahill. He had a long run of success.
“There are a lot of strong arms in the league. We saw that with Piqua and Greenville last year and Sidney in the other division.”
The Trojans will again play a strong non-conference schedule.
“I think we have a really tough schedule,” Welker said. “We open with Lakota West Saturday.”
And the Trojans can’t wait to get started — with a year’s more experience.
Troy baseball ‘walks off’ with win over Greenville
By Robbin Kiser - March 29, 2022 Miami Valley Today
TROY — Troy High School baseball junior Eli Donnan wasn’t going to wait around at the plate Tuesday night in the home seventh inning of the season opener at the Market Street Diamond against Greenville.
And Troy coach Ty Welker wasn’t surprised by the outcome.
With the game tied 4-4 and Ryder Kirtley on second base and Eli Smith on first with one out, Donnan came to the plate with a chance to end the game.
“I was thinking to hit something low and hard,” Donnan said. “And I was looking for something to hit on the first pitch.”
Donnan did exactly that. He hit a drive over the leftfielder’s head.
While in normal circumstances, it would have been a double — the game ended when Kirtley crossed the plate to give Troy a walk-off a 5-4 win.
“It got a great pitch to hit,” Donnan said. “”Fortunately, it was a softball. I was sure hoping (it was over the outfielder’s head). It is not great (hitting in the cold), but after a couple swings you get used it.”
Welker was pleased to see Donnan deliver the game-winning hit.
“He had been struggling a little in the pre-season and he knows that,” Welker said. “Tonight, was the Eli Donnan of last year.”
Troy had taken a 3-0 lead in the second inning with some aggressive base running.
After Trayce Mercer and Donnan had started the inning with walks, Hayden Frey got down a bunt to move the runners to second and third.
Both runners scored on Owen Harlamert’s grounder deep in the hole for a base hit.
Harlamert stole second and scored on Caleb Adkins RBI single.
Greenville answered with two runs in the third when Seth Delk had a RBI single and anothe run scored on Alex Kolb’s double play ball.
“The only thing there was Trayce (Mercer) started the inning with a walk when we needed a shutout inning,” Welker said. “He probably deserved to get the win, if we had hit the ball.”
The score remained the same until the Greenville sixth when Ricky Heidrick had a two-run single to give the Wave a 4-3 lead.
Troy then took advantage of the Greenville defense to rally.
After one was out in the sixth, Donnan, Frey and Harlamert all reached on errors to load the bases.
Nick Kaweicki walked on four pitches to force in the tying run, before Greenville reliever Brock Short got out of the jam with two strikeouts.
Jacob Lucas then pitched a perfect seventh inning for Troy, with two strikeouts.
“He was impressive,” Welker said. “That is the thing. You don’t know what to expect. He had never pitched in a varsity baseball game.”
In the home seventh, Kirtley reached on an error and Smith walked to set up Donnan’s walk-off hit to end it.
Mercer and allowed five hits over the first six innings, striking out eight and walking two.
Hutchinson had a double for Troy, as Hayden Bush and Short combined on a four-hitter, striking out five and walking two.
“We talked about making Greenville’s defense make plays,” Welker said. “And we didn’t do that. I don’t know how many fly balls we hit for outs. They only made the play on two balls that were hit on the ground. We were able to take advantage of their mistakes the last two innings. But, you don’t ever want to complain about a win.”
The Trojans were scheduled to play at Greenville Wednesday, hoping for another good ending.
Weekend Baseball Roundup
By Robbin Kiser - April 3, 2022 Miami Valley Today
TROY — The Troy baseball team ran its record to 4-0 with two wins over the weekend.
On Friday, the Trojans handled West Carrollton 11-2. Nick Kawecki was 3-for-3 with a triple and three RBIs. Owen Harlamert was 2-for-2 with a triple and Andrew Helman had a double and two RBIs. Connor Hutchinson was 2-for-4 and Jacob Lucas had two RBIs.
Brian Allen and Caleb Adkins combined on a six-hitter, striking out 14 and walking three.
On Saturday, Coldwater visited the Market Street diamond.
Adkins scored a first inning run and the Trojans made it hold up for a 1-0 victory.
Hutchinson had a double for Troy.
Lucas and Hayden Frey combined on a one-hitter with seven strikeouts and one walk.
Monday Baseball Roundup
By Robbin Kiser - April 5, 2022 Miami Valley Today (miamivalleytoday.com)
WEST CARROLLTON — The Troy baseball team scored two runs in the top of the seventh to erase a 3-2 deficit and defeated West Carrollton in MVL action Monday.
Eli Donnan was 2-for-4 with a double for Troy and Ryder Kirtley was 3-for-3. Connor Hutchinson had a double.
Trayce Mercer went the distance on the mound. He pitched a seven-hitter, striking out nine and walking two.
Troy baseball beats rain, Xenia to improve to 6-0
By Robbin Kiser - April 6, 2022 Miami Valley Today (miamivalleytoday.com)
TROY — Given the way things looked hours earlier, just getting in a scheduled baseball game at the Troy Market Street diamond was a victory after Xenia made the long bus trip north. Winning 14-3 in five innings Thursday was just an added bonus.
“Who thought we were going to get this game in three hours ago?,” Troy baseball coach Ty Welker asked. “I am pretty sure there were not many games played around here tonight.”
And once the game got started at 6:07 p.m., Troy made quick quick work of Xenia in the first two innings and coasted to the win.
The Trojans plated 13 runs in their first two at bats — and at the same time, Xenia didn’t hit a ball in fair territory until the third inning.
“This is one of the few times we have come out like that in our first at bat,” Welker said. “We hit the ball where you are supposed to hit it and that just changes everything when you do that.”
Troy took advantage of three walks in the first inning to score four runs.
Ryder Kirtley had a RBI single, Hayden Frey hit the ball to the right side on a fielder’s choice to score a run and two runs scored on a wild pitch.
“Their pitcher is not a bad pitcher,” Welker said. “He just had some trouble with his control.”
Troy added nine more runs in the second inning.
Nick Kawecki started the rally with a double.
Kirtley had a two-run double and a RBI single in the inning, Eli Donnan and Connor Hutchinson had RBI singles, Caleb Adkins had a fielder’s choice to score a run, Trayce Mercer was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in a run and Kawecki walked with the bases loaded to force in a run as Troy sent 14 batters to the plate.
At the same time, Andrew Helman was on fire on the mound. He had five strikeouts in the first two innings and Frey caught a foul pop near the fence behind first base.
“Andrew (Helman) came out and had a lot of strikeouts early,” Welker said.
Troy’s final run scored on a sacrifice fly by Kaweicki and the Trojans took a 14-1 lead to the fifth inning.
Like Monday against West Carrollton, the game ended on a bizarre play. With the bases loaded, Zach Salyers sent a fly ball over the Troy outfield’s head. While two runners scored on the play, the trail two runners were both tagged out between third and home, making the final score 14-3.
“There was a lot that happened on that play,” Welker said.
Helman and Evan Kaiser combined on a two-hitter on the mound, striking out eight, walking four and hitting a batter.
On Monday against West Carrollton, Troy was trailing 3-2 going to the seventh inning when Kirtley had a RBI single to tie it and scored the winning run on Eli Smith’s fielder’s choice.
In the home seventh, West Carrollton had a runner one first with two out when the Pirates hit a line drive into the outfield. But, Troy threw the batter out at second base before the lead runner had a chance to score.
“It looked like they were going to tie it and they never got a chance,” Welker said. “It was crazy.”
The net result is Troy is 6-0 heading to Miamisburg Thursday.
“That is good — we have won the games I thought we should win,” Welker said. “We have won in a myriad of ways. I prefer this one (after two straight one run wins).”
After calling it a victory just to get the game in.
Thursday Baseball Roundup
By Robbin Kiser - April 8, 2022 Miami Valley Today
MIAMISBURG — The Troy baseball team dropped its first game of the season Thursday at Miamisburg.
Troy, 6-1, tied 3-3 in the fifth inning before losing 7-3.
Trayce Mercer was 2-for-3 for the Trojans and Nick Kawecki had a double.
Jacob Lucas, Connor Hutchinson and Caleb Adkins combined on a nine-hitter, striking out eight and walking four.
Tuesday Baseball Roundup
By Robbin Kiser - April 13, 2022 Miami Valley Today
The Troy baseball team opened its trip to Georgia with a 6-1 win over North Paulding.
Eli Donnan was 2-for-4 at the plate, while Owen Harlamert had a double and three RBIs. Connor Hutchinson was 3-for-4.
Trayce Mercer, Jacob Lucas and Hayden Frey combined on a six-hitter, striking out 10 and walking two.
Weekend Baseball Roundup
By Robbin Kiser - April 15, 2022 Miami Valley Today
TROY — The Troy baseball team returned from Georgia for a battle of MVL unbeatens with Butler Friday night at the Market Street diamond.
And while the Trojans nearly matched the Aviators at the plate, the timing of the hits was off in a 7-3 loss that dropped Troy to 8-2 overall and 5-1 in the MVL. Vandalia improved to 9-1 overall and 6-0 in the MVL.
Butler outhit Troy 9-8 and the Trojans had four errors.
“I don’t think the errors are really the story,” Troy baseball coach Ty Welker said. “It came down to us not hitting the ball with runners in scoring position. We had 12 at bats with runners in scoring position and were 1-for-12. You are not going to win doing that.”
The Trojans battled to the end.
A RBI single by Eli Donnan had gotten Troy to within 3-1 in the fourth inning.
Down 7-1, they threatened in the sixth, leaving runners on second and third.
In the seventh, bases loaded walks to Ryder Kirtley and Donnan made it 7-3 and brought the tying run to the plate with one out.
But, Butler got two strikeouts to end the game.
“We went down swinging,” Welker said. “I am proud of that.”
He said the trip to Georgia was a positive.
“Whenever you get to spend 24-7 together, it is a good bonding experience,” he said. “We had a realy positive experience. Everybody in the dugout knows this was not our team tonight. We are not normally going to have four errors. We just have to get ready for Monday (at Vandalia-Butler).”
Trayce Mercer was 2-for-3 with two doubles, while Hayden Frey was 2-for-3.
Mercer, Jacob Lucas and Evan Kaiser combined on a 10-hitter, striking out seven and walking five.
Tuesday Baseball Roundup
By Robbin Kiser April 20, 2022
SIDNEY — The Troy baseball team picked up a 3-0 win over Sidney Tuesday.
Brian Allen pitched a one-hit shutout, striking out seven and walking four.
Owen Harlamert provided Troy with the only run it would need with a solo home run in the fourth.
In the sixth inning, Ryder Kirtley reached on an error and scored on Eli Donnan’s RBI single.
In the seventh, Caleb Akins had a sacrifice fly for the final run.
Donnan was 2-for-3 and Andrew Helman had a double.
Troy baseball outlasts Butler 3-0 in 11 innings
April 20, 2022 By Robbin Kiser Miami Valley Today
VANDALIA — The Troy baseball team split the season series with Vandalia-Butler in dramatic fashion on the road Wednesday.
It took 11 innings for someone to cross the plate — and it was Troy who crossed the plate three times for a 3-0 victory.
It left both teams tied atop the MVL with 8-1 records. Troy improved to 10-2 overall and Butler dropped to 11-2 overall.
“I think it can (give the team confidence,” Troy baseball coach Ty Welker said. “But, we tried to take things day by day. Not get too high or low. And hopefully, they will do that.”
Three Troy pitchers limited Butler to two hits in 11 innings.
Andrew Helman pitched the first eight innings, striking out 10 and walking three while throwing 121 pitches.
“Andrew (Helman) did what we know he can do,” Welker said. “That is one of the best teams in the state. It would have been a shame if we had lost the game the way Andrew pitched.”
Freshman Hayden Frey pitched the ninth and 10th innings, allowing one hit, walking two and striking out one.
“Hayden (Frey) may be a freshman in grade, but his maturity his far beyond that,” Welker said. “His hitting and pitching have shown that. We have a lot of confidence in him.”
Troy had the potential winning runs on second in the ninth and 10th innings, but couldn’t score.
“I feel like we had opportunities, but I am sure Butler would say the same thing.”
The Aviators best chance to score came in the fourth inning.
They had runners on first and third with one out.
Butler put down a suicide squeeze, but Helman came off the mound and fielded the ball to get the runner at the plate.
“They bunted the ball right back to Andrew (Helman),” Welker said. “He didn’t panic. He threw to Owen (Harlamert), who put the tag on.”
Troy was able to break through in the 11th.
After Frey singled to lead off the inning, Harlamert fouled off a full-count pitch before walking with one out.
With two out, Trayce Mercer walked on a full-count pitch to load the bases.
Eli Smith then walked on four pitches to force in Frey.
Caleb Akins followed with a two-run single to make it 3-0.
“Hayden Frey has a hit and ends up scoring the winning run,” Welker said. “And that was a big hit by Caleb Akins.”
After Frey walked the first batter in the home 11th, Jacob Lucas came in and got a pop out and two strikeouts to end the game.
“I know there are some highly touted players and that is fine,” Welker said. “But, Jacob (Lucas) doesn’t care about any of that. The thing I like about Jacob is he always stays very focused. No situation is too big for him. He doesn’t know he should not be able to do that.”
Ryder Kirtley was 2-for-4 for Troy and Eli Donnan was 2-for-5.
“We are still a young team, we have a lot of growing to do,” Welker said. “We have a tough game against Sidney coming up on Friday. We just got passed them the other night. But, when you have Andrew Helman, Brian Allen and Trayce Mercer going out there on the mound, you are going to be in a lot of games. We are finding ways to win those games.”
As they did Wednesday night to gain a share of the lead in the MVL.
Troy baseball picked up two wins over weekend
April 22, 2022 By Robbin Kiser Miami Valley Today
TROY — The Troy baseball team made the most of their opportunities.
And Trayce Mercer battled his way to a complete game win on the mound in a 6-1 victory over Friday to complete the sweep of the season series.
The Trojans kept pace with Butler, improving to 11-2 overall and 8-1 in the MVL.
Sidney outhit Troy 4-3 in the game, but Troy found a way to get the runs across.
“It is not always about getting hits,” Troy coach Ty Welker said. “I thought we had better at bats tonight. They didn’t always end up in hits. I thought we did a good job being patient early and making Mitchell (Sidney starter Mitchell Davis) throw a lot of pitches.”
It was Sidney who scored first in the second to go up 1-0.
Aiden Booth doubled and scored on Nick Nuss’ single.
With two outs, Mercer walked the eight, nine batters to load the bases, before striking out the leadoff batter to get out of the inning with just one run scoring.
“That was big,” Welker said. “I think Trayce (Mercer) would be the first one to tell you he didn’t have his best stuff. But, he was able to make pitches when he needed to.”
Troy broke through with three runs on on hit in the third to take the lead for good.
Connor Hutchinson walked, stole second and would score on a wild pitch.
Caleb Akins singled, stole second and would score when Sidney dropped Ryder Kirtley’s line drive with two outs in the inning.
Kirtley stole second and third and scored on a wild pitch before Carson Taylor replaced Davis on the mound and ended the rally.
“We can be that team,” Welker said. “But, we don’t want to be that team. We don’t want to have to relay on that (taking advantage of the other team’s mistakes), but we can do that.”
Troy made it 4-1 in the fifth.
Hayden Frey reached on an error and would score on Owen Harlamert’s two-out single.
“Owen (Harlamert) has improved so much as a batter this year,” Welker said. “He is up there just looking to put the ball in play.”
Troy used a “big play” to cap the scoring in the sixth.
Mercer walked and Evan Kaiser ran for him.
Eli Smith followed with a two-run homer over the left field fence.
“Eli (Smith) was overdue,” Welker said.
Mercer threw a four-hitter for the Trojans, striking out nine and walking four.
“He was one pitch from coming out of the game in the fifth and one pitch from coming out of the game in the sixth,” Welker said. “When he came in after the sixth, we thought he was done. But, we have a game tomorrow so we stayed with him. He is a competitor. He didn’t want to come out.”
The Trojans beat Wayne 4-0 on Saturday.
Caleb Akins, Hayden Frey and Jacob Lucas combined on a no-hitter, striking out six and walking two.
Ryder Kirtley was 2-for-4 with a double for Troy.
Eli Smith was 3-for-4 with a double and Nick Kawecki had a double.
Tippecanoe baseball holds off Troy in MVL action
April 26, 2022 By Robbin Kiser Miami Valley Today
TIPP CITY — It was another big win for the Tippecanoe baseball team Tuesday night at Tippecanoe Junior High.
And another frustrating game for Troy with runners in scoring position.
The Red Devils won their eighth straight game by jumping out to a 6-0 lead and holding on for a 7-5 victory over the Trojans.
“This is eight wins in a row for us,” Tippecanoe coach Bryan Gronski said. “That’s exactly what we did (they were able to hang on for the win). We have been in some games like this. Our pitchers did a good job (getting out of jams).”
Tipp improved to 12-4 overall and 7-2 in the MVL with the win, while Troy dropped to 12-3 overall and 8-2 in the MVL, leaving both teams one game behind Butler in the league standings.
Troy left 11 runners on in the game, twice leaving the bases loaded.
“I don’t know the exact numbers (with runners in scoring position),” Troy coach Ty Welker said. “But, we were miserable once again (with runners in scoring position).We just don’t seem to do what we need to do to put the ball in play. We took too many fastballs early in the count. We had too many strikeouts looking.”
Tipp got on the board with two runs in the second.
Max Dunaway had a leadoff single, went to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on Jacob Kramer’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Brayden Bottles sacrifice fly.
Landon Turner had a double to score Jaxon Hill, who was hit by a pitch.
“I thought those runs were important to give us confidence,” Gronski said. “We had a sacrfice bunt, which led to a sacrifice fly.”
Tipp put Troy in a big hole in the third, scoring four runs on two hits to make it 6-0.
Tyler Minnich started the inning with a single and four walks forced in two runs, before Turner capped the rally with a two-run single.
“We didn’t compete on the mound early in the game,” Welker said. “Jacob Lucas did a good job coming in and keeping us in there. But, you can’t do that against a good team.”
Troy began to chip away at the deficit.
Two walks and a hit batter in the fourth inning loaded the bases. Trayce Mercer had a two-run single and Eli Donnan scored from third on a perfectly executed double steal with Mercer taking second base — making it 6-3.
The Trojans added single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to get within 6-5.
Owen Harlamert had a leadoff single in the fifth and would score when Donnan reached on an error.
In the sixth, Connor Hutchinson reached on a single and would score on Hayden Frey’s two-out single.
“There were some situations where pitches that were balls could have been strikes,” Gronski said. “But, our pitchers did a good job not letting that bother them.”
Tipp got a big insurance run in the home sixth after two were out.
Josh Dietz walked and scored on DJ Martin’s double.
“I thought that was a big run,” Gronski said.
In the seventh, a hit batter and two walks loaded the bases for Troy.
But, Preston Zumwalt got a ground out to finish off the win for Tipp.
Max Dunaway and Zumwalt combined on a six-hitter, striking out nine, walking eight and hitting a batter.
Turner was 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
Brian Allen and Lucas combined on an eight-hitter for Troy, with four strikeouts, eight walks and one hit batter.
The two teams will play against Thursday at the Market Street diamond in Troy.
Troy baseball gainst split with Tippecanoe with 2-0 win
April 28, 2022 By Robbin Kiser Miami Valley Today
TROY — With Troy junior Andrew Helman and Tippecanoe senior Matt Salmon taking the mound Thursday night in a high school baseball matchup at the Market Street diamond in Troy — there was no doubt runs were going to be at a premium against two of the top pitchers in the MVL.
And that is exactly the way it played out.
Troy was able to get two runs and that was enough in a 2-0 victory to split the season series with Tipp.
Troy improved to 13-3 overall and 9-2 in the MVL, while Tipp dropped to 12-6 overall and 7-4 in the MVL.
“It was as advertised,” Troy baseball coach Ty Welker said. “I was thinking it would be a 1-0, 2-0 game and that is exactly the way it turned out.”
Tippecanoe coach Bryan Gronski was not surprised either.
“I think the difference between this and Tuesday (Tipp’s win over Troy), is they got a couple of big hits when they needed it and we didn’t,” he said. “We got the big hits Tuesday and we didn’t tonight.”
For Helman, giving up a run is about as enjoyable as a trip to the dentist.
And it shows.
In 30 innings this season, Helman has allowed just two runs, one earned.
He was coming off one-hitting Butler for eight innings last week and hurled a five-hit shutout to run his record to 3-0 on the season.
He struck out seven batters the first time through the order and finished with 12 strikeouts and two walks, running his season total to 44 strikeouts and 10 walks.
“I just hate to give up a run,” Helman said. “I think I have finally figured out exactly what I need to do out there. And having Heath Murray as a pitching coach is certainly a big help. He knows exactly what pitch to call in every situation.”
Troy was able to get on the board in the second with an unearned run.
Eli Donnan reached on an error, stole second and scored on Connor Hutchinson’s two-out single.
“We did a good job running the bases tonight,” Welker said. “We didn’t have a lot of guys in scoring position tonight, but we had three hits in that situation which was probably three more than we had Tuesday.”
Tipp threatened to tie it in both the fifth and sixth innings.
In the fifth, D.J Martin singled and went to third when Max Dunaway hit a line drive off Helman’s thigh.
“Andrew (Helman) is tough,” Welker said. “He took that ball of his thigh. He threw over 100 pitches, but he doesn’t ever want to come out.”
Helman got a strikeout to end the inning.
In the home fifth, Troy tried to add to the lead.
Nick Kawecki was on second base with two outs after singling. Hayden Frey drilled a single to center, but Braydon Bottles threw a strike to Martin at the plate to cut down Kaweicki and end the inning.
“That was (a big play),” Gronski said. “I was hoping it would give us some confidence,”
In the Tipp sixth, Landon Turner singled, Preston Zumwalt reached on an error and Matt Salmon walked to load the bases with one out.
Helman answered with two strikeouts against the 5-6 hitters to end the inning.
“That was huge,” Helman said.
Welker agreed. “That was against a pretty strong part of the order,” he said. “We were all pretty calm in the dugout except Heath (Murray) who was a little nervous.”
In the Troy sixth, the Trojans got an insurance run.
Eli Smith singled, stole second and went to third on Eli Donnan’s single.
When the throw home got away, Smith scored to make it 2-0.
“Both runs could have easily been different if the ball had bounced a little different,” Gronski said. “It could have been 0-0 going to the eighth inning. We put some pressure on them in the fifth and sixth. We just couldn’t get the big hit.”
Tipp threatened in the seventh with two-out singles by Jaxon Hill and Bottles, before Helman preserved the shutout with a ground out.
Salmon pitched a six-hitter for Tipp, striking out four and not walking a batter.
In a game where both pitchers performed as advertised.
Weekend Baseball Roundup
May 1, 2022 By Robbin Kiser Miami Valley Today
TROY — The Troy baseball team remained one game behind Vandalia-Butler with a 9-0 win over Stebbins Friday in MVL action.
Ryder Kirtley was 2-for-4 with a double and Eli Smith had a double and two RBIs.
Trayce Mercer pitched a four-hitter, striking out nine and walking three.
Monday Baseball Roundup
May 3, 2022 By Robbin Kiser Miami Valley Today
DAYTON — The Troy baseball team improved to 15-3 overall and 11-2 in the MVL with a 10-0 win at Stebbins on Monday.
Caleb Adkins had a triple and two RBIs and Eli Donnan was 2-for-3 with a double.
Ryder Kirtley was 2-for-3 with a triple and Andrew Helman was 2-for-2 with two RBIs.
Eli Smith was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.
Brian Allen pitched a two-hitter, striking out 10.
Troy baseball pick up win
May 6, 2022 By Robbin Kiser Miami Valley Today
XENIA — The Troy baseball team rallied from an early 4-0 deficit to defeat Xenia 7-4 Wednesday in MVL action.
Troy improved to 16-3 overall and 12-2 in the MVL, completing the season sweep of the Bucs.
Xenia dropped to 6-12 overall and 6-10 in the MVL.
Troy tied the game with four runs in the third.
Andrew Helman, Owen Harlamert and Caleb Akins all walked to load the bases.
Connor Hutchinson walked to force in a run and Ryder Kirtley followed with a two-run single.
On a double steal play, Hutchinson scored to make it 4-4.
Troy added three runs in the fifth inning.
Hutchinson, Kirtley and Harlamert all singled.
Hayden Frey and Trayce Mercer both had sacrifice flies and Harlamert scored when Helman reached on an error to make it 7-4.
Jacob Lucas picked up the win with four innings of scoreless relief.
He combined with Brian Allen on a seven-hitter, striking out seven and walking one.
Kirtley led the Trojans at the plate, going 2-for-4.
Southwest District Sectional Baseball Pairings
May 8, 2022 By Robbin Kiser Miami Valley Today
The Troy baseball team received the fourth seed in the Dayton D-I Super Sectional at the Southwest District sectional pairings Sunday and Piqua received the 10th seed.
Troy, 16-3, will host the winner of eight seed Sidney (12-7) and 18 seed Fairborn (3-16) at 5 p.m. May 19 at the Market Street diamond.
The winner will advance to the district semifinal on May 24 at Centerville High School, with five seed Springboro (15-6) the likely opponent.
Piqua, 13-6, will host 13 seed Northmont (4-16) at 5 p.m. May 17 at Hardman Field.
The winner will play at third seed Miamisburg (16-3) on May 19.
The district semifinal is May 24 at Beavercreek High School.
Monday Baseball Roundup
May 9, 2022 By Robbin Kiser Miami Valley Today
TROY — The Troy baseball team moved into a share of first place with some help from Piqua Monday.
The Trojans defeated Fairborn 11-1 in five innings with Trayce Mercer hurling a no-hitter.
Troy is now 17-3 overall and 13-2 in the MVL and was scheduled to host Fairborn Tuesday.
The Trojans also have two games to play with Piqua this week.
Mercer had six strikeouts.
Connor Hutchinson had a home run and three RBIs and Owen Harlamert had a home run and two RBIs.
Ryder Kirtley was 2-for-3 with two doubles, Evan Kaiser had a double and two RBIs and Brian Allen was 2-for-2.
Tuesday Baseball Roundup
May 10, 2022 By Robbin Kiser Miami Valley Today
TROY — The Troy baseball team maintained a share of the MVL lead with an 8-1 win over Fairborn Tuesday at the Market Street Diamond.
Troy is 18-3 overall and 14-2 in the MVL.
The Trojans were trailing 1-0 when they scored six runs in the fourth and added two more in the fifth inning to put the game away.
In the fourth, Brian Allen walked, Caleb Akins singled and Nick Kawecki walked to load the bases.
When Ryder Kirtley reached on an error in the outfield, two runs scored.
Hayden Frey followed with a two-run single, Eli Smith had a two-run double and Eli Donnan had a RBI double.
In the fifth, Akins reached on an error and Kawecki singled.
Kirtley had a fielder’s choice, Akins scored on a wild pitch and Kawecki scored on Smith’s fielder’s choice.
Frey was 2-for-4 and Smith had three RBIs.
Evan Kaiser, Jacob Lucas and Connor Hutchinson combined on a four-hitter, striking out 13 and walking two.
Wednesday Baseball Roundup
May 12, 2022 By Robbin Kiser Miami Valley Today
BEAVERCREEK — The Troy baseball team picked up a 2-1 non-conference win on the road.
Troy got on the board in the third inning.
Connor Hutchinson reached on an error and Hayden Frey singled him in.
In the fourth, Eli Donnan and Trayce Mercer both singled.
Jacob Lucas followed with a RBI single.
Mercer was 2-for-3 at the plate.
Caleb Akins and Frey combined on an eight-hitter, striking out six and walking two.
Thursday Baseball Roundup
May 13, 2022 By Robbin Kiser Miami Valley Today
TROY — The Troy baseball team is closing in on a share of the MVL baseball title.
The Trojans defeated Piqua 8-3 Thursday.
Troy, 20-3 overall and 15-2 in the MVL will resume a suspended game with Piqua on Saturday morning at 10 a.m.
If the Trojans, who lead 5-2 in the fifth inning, win that game they will share the title with Vandalia-Butler.
Piqua is 14-8 overall and 10-7 in the MVL.
Troy jumped out to an 8-1 lead and held on for the win.
Hayden Frey was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Ryder Kirtley was 2-for-3 with a double. Eli Smith added a double.
Brian Allen and Jacob Lucas combined on an eight-hitter, striking out eight and walking three.
Brayden Offenbacher was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for Piqua.
Owen Shawler was 2-for-4.
Mickey Anderson and Hunter Steinke combined on a nine-hitter, striking out five and walking four.
Troy baseball gets share of MVL title
May 14, 2022 By Robbin Kiser Miami Valley Today
PIQUA — The Troy baseball team had to complete a suspended game with Piqua Saturday morning at Hardman Field.
The Trojans were up 5-2 in the fifth inning — needing a win to earn a share of the MVL title with Vandalia-Butler, who finished at 16-2 in the conference.
Starting in top of the fifth with Eli Smith on second base after a double, the Trojans left no doubt.
They scored four quick runs in the fifth inning to improve to 22-3 and finish 16-2 in the MVL.
Owen Harlamert was hit by a pitch and Smith scored when Eli Donnan reached on an error.
With one out, Connor Hutchinson had a RBI single and Donnan would score on a wild pitch.
After a two-out walk to Nick Kawecki, Ryder Kirtley drilled a RBI double down the left-field line to cap the rally.
Brayden Offenbacher recorded eight of Troy’ nine outs by strikeout on the day and allowed them just one hit — a Caleb Akins single — in the Trojans’ final two at bats.
Trayce Mercer pitched three scoreless inning for Troy to finish off the win.
He struck out three, walked one and allowed just two hits — singles by Brayden Offenbacher and Brady Ouhl.
The Troy defense turned a double play in the seventh inning when shortstop Kirtley fielded a hard grounder, stepped on second and threw to first baseman Hayden Frey.
The Trojans followed that up with an 8-4 win over Miami East.
Ryder Kirtley had two RBIs and Nick Kawecki doubled.
Three Troy pitchers combined on a seven-hitter, striking out six and walking one.
Austin Francis was 2-for-4 with a double for Miami East and Luke Hamaker was 2-for-4.
Four Viking pitchers combined on a five-hitter, striking out six and walking nine.
Monday Baseball Roundup
May 17, 2022 By Robbin Kiser Miami Valley Today
CENTERVILLE — The Troy baseball team dropped a close game on the road Monday.
Troy, 23-4, will host the winner of Sidney and Fairborn at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Market Street diamond.
Ryder Kirtley was 2-for-3 with a double.
Eli Donnan and Owen Harlamert both had RBIs.
Four pitchers combined on a five-hitter, striking out three.
Thursday Baseball Sectional Tournament Roundup
May 21, 2022 By Robbin Kiser Miami Valley Today
TROY — The Troy baseball team got off to a slow start and couldn’t recover against Sidney Thursday in 5-4 loss in D-I sectional action.
Troy dropped to 23-5 on the season, while Sidney improved to 17-8.
The Trojans got in an early 4-0 hole and four of Sidney’s five runs were unearned in the game.
But, the Trojans battled back and had the tying run on third in the seventh with two outs.
Caleb Akins walked, moved to second on Nick Kawecki’s fielder’s choice and went to third on Ryder Kirtley’s infield single.
Sidney shortstop Aiden Booth bobbled a ground ball, but recovered and threw the runner out at first by half a step to end the game.
Sidney took a 3-0 lead in the second inning.
Boothe had a sole home run and Aiden Ike added a two-run single after the inning was extended on a Troy error.
Sidney added a single run in the fourth without a hit.
EJ Davis singled and stole second.
He stopped at third when Jack Davidson reached on an error. The throw back to the infield resulted in another error with Davis scoring.
Troy got two runs back in the home fourth on just one hit.
The Trojans took advantage of three walks and a hit batter, with Kawecki and Kirtley drawing bases-loaded walks to force in runs.
Sidney got a run in the fifth to make it 5-2.
Davis reached on an error and stole second and third. He scored on Davidson’s double.
Troy got back within 5-4 in the home sixth.
Kawecki singled and came around to score on a wild pitch.
Kirtley walked went to second and third on wild pitches and scored on Eli Smith’s fielder’ choice, setting up the dramatic finish in the seventh.
Trayce Mercer and Jacob Lucas combined on a five-hitter, striking out seven and walking three.
Smith was 2-for-4 at the plate.
Sidney had four hits and didn’t commit an error. Troy had seven hits and finished with six errors.
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