PRIMARY THREADS
- The Trojans jumped for three runs in the bottom of the second inning to open the scoring in the contest, before adding another in the third.
- South Alabama got on the board in its half of the fourth frame, when Marc Stephens singled through the left side to bring Mike Young around to score with two outs. Next up was Robert Miranda who kept the inning alive with an RBI single of his own to plate Rett Johnson.
- Troy would steal the momentum right back when it scored a pair of runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to increase its lead to 8-2 after five complete.
- Duncan Mathews did his job with Ethan Melton waiting 90 feet away when he grounded out to shortstop for an RBI in the seventh. Stewart Puckett followed up the run with a backside base hit over the head of the Trojan shortstop to drive in another for the fourth Jaguar run of the day.
- The Jaguar pitching staff had trouble slowing down the Trojan offense on Saturday, while Troy scored three more times in its half of the eighth inning to reach 11 runs.
- What looked like the game was wrapping up in the ninth, senior Nate Wood drew a walk before the second out was made in the inning to start an incredible six run effort. Blake Guerin's final collegiate at-bat doubled home Wood who scored his last collegiate run on the play. Mike Young reached on an error on the infield allowing Guerin to score before Rett Johnson and Marc Stephens snuck back-to-back singles through. The Jaguar efforts came to life when Robert Miranda drilled a two-run double off the left-center field wall, followed by Ethan Melton who traded places with Miranda tagging a double of his own to get the sixth run across. The score would stand final, Troy 11, South Alabama 10.
KEY STATS
- Marc Stephens posted three hits and two RBI including an RBI base hit to contribute to the ninth inning efforts.
- Blake Guerin, Robert Miranda and Ethan Melton all doubled to combine for four RBI between them in the ninth inning. Miranda tied a career-high three hit day.
- Ethan Melton posted two hits including his team-best 18th double of the season in the ninth for an RBI.
- Stewart Puckett singled for an RBI that drove in Brennon Wright who reached on a double.
- Mike Young tallied a pair of knocks for his 21st multi-hit game of the season and scored twice.
QUOTABLE
HEAD COACH MARK CALVI
"The difference was, you know, there throughout the whole game was extra base hits and free passes. I think we walked six and hit two, gave them free passes, and I think they only gave us one. That's that seven base runner difference, that that got us. We left some runners stranded in situations early in the game to where single gets us one or two and scratch and claw, but you know the thing that wins your games consistently pitching and defense wasn't where we needed it to be today, and we picked a bad day to not be really good in those two areas. With that being said, when we were down 11-4, I knew the game wasn't going to end with that score, not with our group, they've done everything I've asked.
I don't even grade them on wins, man. I just grade them on effort and who they are as teammates, and we put guys out there. We have some good players, like everyone else in the league, but their effort was there all the time. They played hard and never rolled over.
Two of the last three years hasn't been great for us. We were picked 11th this year and I don't pay much attention to that stuff but it's out there, and we finished tied for third. So, moving forward, we can defend ourselves a little bit better from a recruiting standpoint, and today's landscape in college baseball, if you don't have the resources, if you don't have the money, you're not getting the players. It is what it is, you know. I've decided that this group reinvigorated me, and do I like the landscape of it? No, but it's either evolve or die, so it's either keep going and adjust or get out and quit, and I'm not getting out and quitting. So, I want to thank my administration and Dr. Erdmann for really stepping up and helping us to where we can do what we need to do from a financial standpoint.
I just want to thank my team that this was as good a group as I've had. They reset the culture in today's day and age, the turnstile athletics and guys transient coming and going. I've been more of a transformational guy than a transactional guy. Unfortunately, part of this is transactional because it's a business, money, money changes hands. But this team allowed me to be as transformational as I've been the last 33 years.
But the bottom line is, it's about getting the right people. You can have the best talent in the world. If you don't have the right people, your locker room is going to stink, and your performance on the field is going to stink. It's about talent, but it's more about culture and chemistry and connectivity with these guys, and pulling for a common goal, and that's what our guys did. We fell a little bit short in the wins and losses area. We fell a little bit short in one of the boxes that we need to check, and that's getting to the postseason. Every other box these guys checked. We had a bunch of the right guys on this team and my heart breaks for these kids. We have a great nucleus coming back, and we have some great guys going out, we have some good guys coming in, but again, most importantly, this group here kind of reset the culture."
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