Hardnett strikes out 13, Morris goes yard as Troup earns crucial region win over Trinity Christian
Published 8:54 pm Tuesday, April 11, 2023
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Backs against the wall. Playoff hopes on the line. The seniors — Josh McDonald, Reed Morris and Devon Murphy — delivered once again as the Troup baseball team earned a massive 5-2 region victory over Trinity Christian.
The offense was there all night for Troup, but the runs did not come until late. The Lions struck first with a run in the top of the third, but the Tigers were just biding their time looking for a chance to pounce. That moment came in the bottom of the fifth inning with four important runs.
Murphy reached on a single then Morris on a walk and McDonald brought them both home with a single of his own to give Troup a 2-1 lead. McDonald was one of the key figures offensively for Troup and went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Jake Perry showed great patience with the bases loaded and walked to drive in the third run for the Tigers. With two outs, Carson Walker was able to bring home the fourth and final run of the inning for Troup when he also took a bases loaded walk.
Troup added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Morris belted a home run over the right field wall. Morris delivered time and time again in big moments for the Tigers and was 2-for-2 with two runs scored, two walks and an RBI on the evening to put his stamp on an impressive showing from the home team.
Demetrius Hardnett was locked in on the mound, striking out a whopping 13 batters while only allowing seven hits and one earned run. The sophomore rewarded his coaches’ trust by putting together a truly dominant showing. Hardnett pitched 6 2/3 inning with Tripp Cummings coming in for the last out, striking out a Lion batter in three pitches to close out an important win for the Tigers.
Murphy was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Ty Medders and Will Keeter each had a hit in the game.
Troup is now 17-8 overall and 7-4 in region play. The Tigers currently sit fourth in region 4-4A and will have another crucial region matchup with fifth-place team Trinity Christian on the road on Thursday.
