Troy tops Mississippi State

A go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth by Steven Meier was the difference in No. 20 Troy’s 6-5 victory at No. 15 Mississippi State at Dudy Noble Field on Tuesday.

Meier exploded on a 3-0 fastball with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, launching it 396 feet over the rigs in right field for his first homer as a Trojan. Grady Gorgen closed in down in the bottom of the ninth, but it was what the lefty did in the eighth that kept the Trojans in the fight.

Gorgen entered with two on and one out and walked a hitter to load the bases, but the senior escaped the jam with strikeouts against Mississippi State’s fourth and fifth hitters, Noah Sullivan and Hunter Hines.

Troy had gotten an early lead behind a pair of home runs from Shane Lewis, who began his career at Mississippi State during the 2021 season. Lewis crushed a solo shot to right field in the second inning and was the start of Troy’s 4-spot in the fifth, golfing a slider deep over the right field wall.

Meier followed with an RBI single later in the fifth, while Blake Cavill drew a walk with the bases loaded before Peyton Watts scored on a passed ball.

Trojan starter Adam Falinski cruised through the first four innings of the ballgame and racked up six strikeouts. The senior got beat with an infield single to start the fifth before a hit batter and another single loaded the bases. The Trojans turned to Grayson Stewart, but a grand slam by Sullivan put four runs on the board for the Bulldogs before an RBI single by Ace Reese off Jay Dill in the sixth evened the game at five.

Noah Thigen pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning before turning it over to Gorgen with one out in the eighth.