2011 Baseball Media Guide

Page 76

2010 Season In Review 2011 Home Run Breakdown

By Inning Troy Opp First Inning 12 6 Second Inning 12 9 Third Inning 8 8 Fourth Inning 10 7 Fifth Inning 23 5 Sixth Inning 12 11 Seventh Inning 4 10 Eighth Inning 15 6 Ninth Inning 5 4 Extra Innings 0 2 By Outs Leadoff No Outs One Out Two Outs

Troy Opp 24 17 41 21 32 22 27 25

By Runners Troy Opp Solo 54 34 Two Run 22 23 Three Run 21 4 Grand Slam 3 7 Miscellaneous Troy Opp Home 47 33 Away 43 30 Neutral 10 5 vs. LHP 19 9 vs. RHP 81 58 Day Games 46 33 Night Games 54 35 Sun Belt Games 46 33 Non-Conference 39 27 In Troy Wins 67 22 In Troy Losses 33 46 Inside The Park 0 1 By Day Troy Opp Monday 5 0 Tuesday 14 10 Wednesday 7 4 Thursday 6 1 Friday 14 20 Saturday 37 15 Sunday 16 18

to the tournament title would have to include a second victory over MTSU, followed by two wins over Arkansas State just to get to the title game. That task seemed to be almost impossible as the Trojans faced a 5-2 deficit in the Friday game with MTSU in the eighth inning. Troy was up to that challenge, scoring three times in the bottom of the eighth to knot the score. After Chase Whitley retired the Blue Raiders in order in the top of the ninth, the teams appeared headed to extra innings when Daniel Peterson and Bryant were quickly retired. Senior Steven Felix had other ideas. After working a 3-1 count from pitcher Daniel Palo before lifting a high fly to deep left-center. Zach Hudson went back to the wall and leaped, but the ball passed just over his outstretched glove for a walk-off homer. Following the emotional win, weather intervened on the tournament. Troy was to have played ASU later that evening, but the game was pushed to Saturday, with the tournament title game moved to Sunday. After falling behind the Red Wolves 5-1 early, the Trojans scored 10 times

in the fifth and sixth innings and coasted to a 12-5 victory, forcing a third, and deciding, game with ASU. The clubs matched up in an epic struggle with a berth in the title game on the line. Troy got off to a quick start with four runs in the first inning, and the Trojans led 6-2 after six innings, but ASU was not about to go down without a fight. The Red Wolves mounted their run in the eighth inning, which was Troy’s nemesis throughout the tournament. Closer Chase Whitley came on for Troy with two runners on base, but he allowed consecutive walks to force in a run and bring ASU slugger Murray Watts to the plate. Watts had victimized the Trojans earlier in the tournament with a grand slam and, after a meeting on the mound to discuss whether to walk him again, this time with the bases loaded and a three-run lead, the decision was made to pitch to him, but carefully. Whitley, however, made a mistake on his third pitch, and Watts hammered the ball out to right for his second grand slam. The blast put ASU within three outs of a trip to the title game. ASU stayed with Andy Ferguson to close out the Trojans in the ninth and he appeared to be well on his way when he struck out Miles Hoyle to start the inning. Trojans senior J.R. Myers had different ideas, however. He hit a line shot past the scoreboard in right for a game-tying homer, sending the game into extra innings. Troy took the lead in the top of the 10th on a sacrifice fly by Chase Whitley, but the Red Wolves tied the game in the bottom of the frame when Todd Baumgartner blasted a solo homer. The Trojans left little room for doubt in the 11th, scoring four times in the inning to send Troy into Sunday’s championship game against FIU. Like Troy, the Panthers battled their way to the title game after an early loss and had to play a pair of extra-inning games to get there. Both teams were out of pitching and the result was a 24-run, 32-hit slugfest. Troy led the game 6-5 before FIU scored six times in the seventh inning. The Panthers added three more in the ninth to put the game away and earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Troy’s final record of 36-25 was certainly not what the team had hoped for going into the season, but the taste of championship play at the end of the year left the returning players hungry for a title in 2011.

2012 Troy University Baseball Media Guide

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