Troy late rallies to defeat Samford – The Troy Messenger

A late attack by baseball team Troy Trojans resulted in an exciting 10-8 win over the Samford Bulldogs in Birmingham on Tuesday night.

Troy was 7-6 down before the ninth inning, but Cameron Gray and Brady Moore both scored with the same error in the top of the ninth to give Troy an 8-7 lead. After the bases were loaded, William Sullivan was walked home with Ryan Pettys and then Kyle Mock was led to the next at bat to drive Donovan Whibbs home and extend the lead to 10-7. Samford did manage a run late in the ninth inning but couldn’t push the Trojans lead any further.

Mock hit the plate with a home run, a double, three RBIs and two runs against Samford 2-on-5, while Caleb Bartolero and Gray both went 2-on-4 with one run. On the defensive end, Bartolero had seven putouts and three assists at the catcher while Sullivan had 11 putouts at first base.

Marquez Oates earned the win on the mound, pitching two innings and knocking out a batsman while not giving up hits or runs. Grayson Stewart also made a save with two strikeouts in one inning. He also gave up a hit and a deserved run. Bay Witcher threw five innings with four strikeouts along with 10 hits and five earned runs abandoned.

Troy remains on the road for a major Sun Belt Conference series with Georgia Southern this weekend, which begins Friday. Troy currently ranks fifth on the Sun Belt, while Georgia Southern sits comfortably in second place. With only three conference series left this season, each counts for the Trojans entering the Sun Belt tournament later this month.