Baseball Falls 6-5 in Sun Belt Series Opener to Troy

Friday, March 20

Pete Taylor Park

6 pm

Southern Miss

17-5, 1-3

Troy

10-11, 10-11

Troy

Southern Miss

Baseball Falls 6-5 in Sun Belt Series Opener to Troy

3/20/2026 9:40:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Six Troy players registered multiple hits as the visiting Trojans defeated No. 12 Southern Miss 6-5 Friday night in a Sun Belt Conference series opener at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field.

The Golden Eagles (17-5 overall, 1-3 Sun Belt) dropped their second game over the last three contests and saw a six-game winning streak against the Trojans (10-11, 3-1) end.

Josh Pyne led the Trojans with three hits and a pair of RBI, while Aaron Piasecki, Jimmy Janicki, Blake Cavill, Nolan Book and Sean Darnell each had two apiece.

It was Southern Miss, though, that jumped out early as they scored twice in the opening frame. Kyle Morrison opened the scoring with a solo home run to center, his first of two long balls in the contest. Davis Gillespie then tripled down the right field line and scored on a Matthew Russo sacrifice fly one batter later to give the Eagles a 2-0 advantage.

The Trojans then took their first lead off Golden Eagle starter Grayden Harris, who was making his first Friday appearance for Southern Miss. After an infield single by Darnell opening the frame, Harris got a pair of outs before walking Piasecki and then allowing a three-run homer to Janicki, his eighth, to give the visitors a 3-2 lead.

Morrison tied the game in the bottom half of the frame his second round-tripper over the center field wall to give him eight on the year and tie the game at 3-apiece.

Troy took the lead for good an inning later as Cavill singled to open the frame. After a flyout, the Trojans got back-to-back singles from Book and Darnell to load the bases. Then Pyne doubled to right center off Harris which drove in two runs, but the third runner was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

Harris went on to suffer the loss as he allowed five runs on 10 hits with one walk and six strikeouts to fall to 4-1.

The Trojans got another insurance run in the seventh as Cavill beat out an infield single scoring Piasecki from third, after he reached via a single of his own and went to third on a Drew Nelson single.

Down 6-3 in the eighth, the Golden Eagles rallied for a pair of runs. With one out, Morrison walked. Gillespie then flew out to right before Russo doubled down the left field line. Drey Barrett then knocked both runners in with a double of his own.

Benjamin Stubbs, who gave Troy seven strong innings, scattered five hits and two walks which lead to three runs to go along with four strikeouts in earning the victory and improving to 2-0. Cooper Ellingsworth recorded his first save by throwing the final two innings.

Game two of the series is set for 2 p.m., Saturday, as it will be Parrothead Day at The Pete. The team will wear special Parrot head jerseys and themed gear for the weekend will also be sold at the park while supplies last. Prior to Saturday's contest, Lloyd Munn and the Forecasters, a Jimmy Buffet tribute show, will start when gates are opened two hours prior to the game.