Troy Trojans baseball team wins three straight
After a tough start to the season, the Troy Trojans baseball team bounced back in dominant fashion last week, rattling off three straight victories at home.
Strong pitching, timely hitting and improved defense fueled the turnaround as Troy outscored its opponents 36-4 over the stretch.
Troy opened the winning streak on Saturday, April 19, with a 10-0 shutout of Noxon/Thompson Falls in a game that ended in five innings. Tommy Guinard was dominant on the mound, tossing a two-hit shutout with just one walk and three strikeouts. Troy’s defense backed him up, committing only one error while Noxon/TF struggled with nine defensive miscues.
At the plate, Henry Roy Jr. led the offense with a 2-run double, while Mason Crowe added a triple. Trapper Savage collected a hit and scored a run and Kempton Sloan drove in a run as well. Troy jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back, adding three more in the second and finishing it off with a three-run fourth.
Two days later, the Trojans hosted Browning in the first of a back-to-back series and again delivered a convincing win, defeating the Indians 14-2. After taking a 3-2 lead through three innings, Troy erupted for four runs in the fourth and five more in the fifth to pull away.
The offense exploded for 10 hits, with Savage going 3-for-4 and Crowe driving in three runs with a pair of hits, including a double. Sloan also added two RBIs and a double of his own.
Ryker Pinard came out of the bullpen and delivered 3 2/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts, shutting down any hopes of a Browning rally. The defense also stepped up, playing error-free baseball.
The following day, Troy completed the sweep of Browning with a 12-2 win in another shortened contest. After falling behind 2-0 in the early innings, the Trojans took control with a two-run fourth and a nine-run fourth.
Savage continued his hot streak at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs. Guinard added two RBIs of his own, and Roy Jr. and Preston Nordor also chipped in hits.
On the mound, Carson Orr delivered a strong outing, throwing five complete innings while allowing just two earned runs on five hits. He struck out nine and worked around five walks to keep Browning off balance.
Thursday, April 24, at Whitrefish, the Bulldogs claimed an 11-1 win in five innings.
Reed Boyer, Max Barone and Ryan Conklin combined on a one-hitter, and Drew Queen drove in four runs to lead Whitefish over Troy 11-1 in five innings in North A baseball action Thursday.
Cody Orr collected Troy's only hit as the Trojans fell to 3-7.
Saturday, April 19
At Troy
TROY 10, NOXON/THOMPSON FALLS 0
Noxon/TF - 00000 - 0 - 2 - 9
Troy - 4303x - 10 - 3 - 1
TROY HITTING: Carson Orr 0-3, Trapper Savage 1-3, Mason Crowe 1-3, Cooper Carsley 0-1, Preston Nordor 0-3, Henry Roy Jr. 1-2, Tommy Guinard 0-3, Lucas Peterson 0-3, Kempton Sloan 0-2; RBI: Roy Jr. 2, Sloan; 2B: Roy Jr.; 3B: Crowe
TROY PITCHING: Tommy Guinard (5IP, 2H, 0R, 1BB, 3SO)
Monday, April 21
At Troy
TROY 14, BROWNING 2
Troy - 210344 - 14 - 10 - 0
Brow - 02000x - 2 - 3 - 0
TROY HITTING: Carson Orr 1-3, Trapper Savage 3-4, Mason Crowe 2-3, Cooper Carsley 1-3, Kempton Sloan 1-1, Preston Nordor 0-2, Henry Roy Jr. 1-3, Lucas Peterson 1-2, Ryker Pinard 0-2; RBI: Savage, Crowe 3, Sloan 2, Guinard; 2B: Orr, Sloan, Crowe, Savage
TROY PITCHING: R Pinard (3 and ⅔ innings in relief with five strikeouts)
Tuesday, April 22
At Troy
TROY 12, BROWNING 2
Brow - 10100 - 2 - 5 - 0
Troy - 00129 - 12 - 6 - 0
TROY HITTING: Carson Orr 1-3, Trapper Savage 2-3, Mason Crowe 0-2, Cooper Carsley 0-1, Preston Nordor 1-1, Henry Roy Jr. 1-3, Tommy Guinard 1-2, Lucas Peterson 0-3, Kempton Sloan; RBI: Savage 2, Guinard 2; 3B: Savage
TROY PITCHING: Carson Orr (5IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 5BB, 9SO)