Salem, WV  – The Trojans dropped a four-game series at Salem over the weekend. The Trojans dropped the first game 13-11 on a walk-off home run hit by the Tigers before dropping the second 11-0. The next day, the Tigers took game three in a pitchers dual 2-0 for their second-straight shutout of the series before winning 9-1. After scoring 11 runs in the first game the Trojans only scored one run over the next three games.

Game 1
Salem struck first in the bottom of the first inning scoring on a wild pitch prior to a pitch hitting an SU batter with the bases loaded to take the lead 2-0. The Trojans fought back with a homerun into left field off the bat of Jaylen Lovett to bring the score to 2-1 in the top of the second inning. However, the Tigers would add to their slim lead with a sacrifice fly ball into center field. The next at-bat, the runner on third base swiped home plate to go up 4-1 in the bottom of the second inning. Carl "Chip" Granderson  kept the Trojans in the game as he scored on an error by the SU first baseman to make it 4-2 in the top of the third inning. After a three up, three down bottom of the third, the Trojans made another push for the lead after Jaylen Lovett scored on an error made by the left fielder. Bryce Wilmoth would advance home on the next at-bat on an RBI single into left field by Avante Banks to tie the game at four all in the top of the fourth inning. The commencement of a pretty big inning for the Tigers was a run being scored off of a single. With no outs, the Tigers scored a pair of runs on a double into left field. Salem scored their fourth run of the inning on single to second base to push their lead to 8-4 in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Tigers added on to their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning with a single into center field to make the score 9-4. Down but not out, the Trojans very own Carl "Chip" Granderson got his squad started with a single into left field to score Bryce Wilmoth. Dawsyn Hock went on to score Avante Banks on a ground out back to the pitcher. Granderson would later come around to score as Thomas Chandler drew a walk with the bases loaded. John Newman brought Chase Moore and Ricky Jones into score on a double down the left field line. The Trojans scored five runs on four hits in the top of the sixth inning to knot the ball game at nine. The top of the seventh inning saw the Trojans homerun leader, Ricky Jones, belt a ball high and deep over the fence in left field to score himself and Granderson to take their first lead of the game 11-9. With runners on second and third with no outs, the Tigers singled into center field to score both runs to tie the game at 11. The very next at-bat, the Tigers hit a walk-off home run into right field to take game one 13-11.

 
Top Performers
Carl "Chip" Granderson : 2-3, 3 Runs, RBI, 2 Walks, 2 Stolen Bases
Ricky Jones: 2-3, 2 Runs, 2 RBI, Walk, Homerun
Jaylen Lovett: 1-2, RBI, Walk, Homerun
Ricky Jones: 1-4, Run, 4 RBI, Grand Slam
Bryce Wilmoth: 2-4, 2 Runs,
Avante Banks: 2-4, Run, RBI, Double
Keith Wallace: 2 Innings pitched, 2 Earned runs, 4 Hits, 4 Strikeouts, 0 Walks

 
Game 2
After a scoreless inning and a half to start the game, Salem got started in the bottom of the second inning with a homerun into left field that scored two runs. Salem went on to hit their second homerun of the inning which was a three-run shot over the fence in left field to make the score 5-0 in the bottom of the second inning. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Tigers scooted their lead out further with a rip into center field. Salem would go on to score on an error to make the score 7-0. The Tigers made it 8-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning after scoring on a wild pitch. Salem would go on to push their lead to double-digits scoring on a double into right field. They would wrap up their damage to the Trojans defense with a single into center field to score a pair of runs to make it 11-0. The Trojans would be held scoreless through the top of the seventh to give the Tigers their second win of the day 11-0.


Top Performers
Tahraun Hammond: 1-3
Ryan Messer: 1-1, Double
Christian Henderson: 2-2
Nicholas Woolfolk: 1-1



Game 3
The pitchers dual that was game three of the series was between Nicholas Woolfolk of Virginia State and Frankie Cleary of Salem. The game did not even have its first hit of the ball game until the bottom of the second inning. Salem scored their first two runs of the game on a double into left field to make the score 2-0. The Trojans had a total of two base runners in the game as Nicholas Woolfolk reached on a single and Dawsyn Hock also reached on a single through the left side. Hock would ultimately be left stranded on second in the top of the fifth inning which was the one and only time the Trojans had a runner in scoring position. Woolfolk gave up just two hits since giving up two runs in the bottom of the second inning. The bats never woke up for the Trojans, as they were held scoreless for the second game in a row 2-0.


Top Performers
Dawsyn Hock: 1-3
Nicholas Woolfolk: 1-2
Nicholas Woolfolk: 6 Innings Pitched, 4 Hits, 2 Earned runs, 7 strikeouts, 1 Walk
 

Game 4
The Tigers broke the ice in the bottom of the first inning with a solo homer over the left center field fence to take the lead 1-0. In the bottom of the second inning, the Tigers extended their to three runs on an RBI double followed by a RBI single. Tahraun Hammond single handedly scored the first run of the past two games for the Trojans as he hit a solo homerun well over the left center field fence to make the score 3-1. The bottom of the third inning, saw the Tigers double their point total with an RBI single up the middle, a wild pitch and an RBI single into right field to make the score 6-1 in the bottom of the third inning. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Salem added to their lead with an error and a single into right field to make the score 8-1. The Tigers scored another run in the bottom of the sixth inning with an RBI double down the right field line to make the score 9-1. The Trojans were held scoreless in the top of the seventh inning, which allowed the Tigers to complete the four-game sweep with the 9-1 victory.


Top Performers
Tahraun Hammond: 1-3, Run, RBI, Homerun
Chase Moore: 1-3
Carl "Chip" Granderson : 1-2
Nicholas Woolfolk: 6 Innings Pitched, 4 Hits, 2 Earned runs, 7 strikeouts, 1 Walk



Up Next
Virginia State will head down south to Mount Olive, North Carolina to take on the University of Mount Olive (24-16) in a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 19 starting at 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.