GREENVILLE – The Troy Lady Trojans brought an 11-2 conference record to Lady Wave stadium to take on Greenville owners of a league-leading 12-1 mark and left town with an 8-7 loss at the hands of the Lady Wave.
“Great day for Lady Wave Softball,” said Greenville coach Jerrod Newland. “Two good teams playing here 12-2 vs 12-1, both teams coming out and hitting the ball, hitter’s environment today.”
Troy took advantage of its first of three home runs on the day to lead 2-0 with the Lady Wave coming to the plate in the bottom of the first inning.
Greenville evened the score with 2 runs in the bottom of the first with opening back-to-back singles off the bats of Kylar Arnett and Zoey Burns. Ella McLear sent a run home with a groundout to short, and a Troy error sent the second run home for a 2-2 score after one.
The Lady Trojans took advantage of an RBI bunt single to make it a 4-2 game after two complete and collected their second homer in the top of the fourth to lead 5-2.
Greenville got the run back in the bottom of the inning with Morgan Thompson going deep for her first home run of the season and a 5-3 Troy lead.
The difference in the game came in in the bottom of the fifth with 5 Lady Wave runs crossing the plate with 2 outs on the board. Zoey Burns, Mahayla Cook, and Addie Burke walked, Thompson knocked a 2-out 2-run single, Savannah Leach drilled an RBI double and Haleigh McDermitt sent an RBI single to center giving the Lady Wav an 8-5 advantage.
“In the fifth inning, we go up there offensively, with a mindset of hitting the ball well, square, and passing the bat,” Coach Newland stated.
Troy battled back with 2 runs in the top in the seventh and had runners on second and third with 2-outs setting up an intentional walk and loading the bases with Lady Trojans. With Burns on the mound, the junior got a Troy to ground out Arnett to Burke giving the Lady Wave a hard-fought MVL win.
“They struck, and we struck back,” Newland said. They struck at the end. We left a couple on, we went scratching a couple of innings, they scratched one, we scratched one, we made a couple of coaching moves, and next inning, Morgan Thompson came in and shut them down, coming through for a couple of times.”
“Their first four runs all came with two outs, and we’re close to making plays, but bottom line, great game today, fast fast-pitch softball game, and we came out on the right side 8-7,” added Newland. “It will be a war Monday at Troy and I can’t wait for that.”
Burns pitched 4.0 innings allowing 4 earned runs, 8 hits, no walks, and 5 strikeouts. Thompson tossed 2.0 innings allowing 2 earned runs, 2 hits, 3 walks, and no strikeouts.
Thompson led the Lady Wave at the plate going 2-3 with a home run, 4 RBI, and a run. Burns went 3-3 including a double and a walk; Leach 2-3 including a double and a triple, 1 RBI 1, run; McDermitt 2-3, 1 RBI; Arnett 1-4; Burke a walk and a run; Cook a walk and 2 runs; Skylar Bryson 2 runs; Kara Blumenstock a run, and McLear a walk and a run.
BOX SCORE
123 456 7 R H E
220 100 2 7 11 1 Troy
200 150 X 8 10 0 Greenville
