Troy smashes Middle Tennessee

TROY — Bryce Brentz brought some of the top batting credentials in the country to Troy’s Riddle-Pace Field Friday. It was his arm that took the biggest beating, though.

The Trojans roughed up Brentz, Middle Tennessee’s top hitter and ace pitcher, and took the first game of a key three-game set, winning 15-1. Troy and MTSU are tied in the Sun Belt loss column, but MTSU (32-13, 18-7) has played five more conference games than Troy (26-18, 13-7).

Western Kentucky (16-5 entering Friday in SBC play) is in first place, but Troy hosts the Sun Belt Tournament in three weeks (May 20-23).

The sophomore Brentz, who came in with a 4-2 record and a 4.07 ERA, didn’t make it out of the third, giving up nine earned runs off 10 hits. He saw his ERA
jump to 5.09. At the plate, Brentz went 0-for-5, dropping his average to a still-astounding .464.

“You’ve just got to credit our hitters,” Troy shortstop Adam Bryant said. “We jumped on his fastball and didn’t chase his offspeed. He’s a heck of a player.”

Bryant, hitting in the 9-hole, hit a 2-run homer in the third to make the score 9-0 and led the Trojans with his 3-for-4 performance with four RBIs. Eight-hole
hitter Steven Felix had a big night as well, going 3-for-5.

“We’ve really been getting some great production out of them,” Troy head coach Bobby Pierce said. “They like hitting down there.”

Bryant started off the season in a major slump, with his batting average below .100 for more than a month, but caught fire when starting shortstop Bart Pettus
went down with a knee injury. Bryant hit three homers April 8 in a 17-11 win at Samford and hasn’t cooled off since.

“I believe he led our team with 25 RBIs in the month of April,” Pierce said. “Now he’s started the month of May off with a bang.”

The Trojans got three in the first, highlighted by an RBI double from Miles Hoyle and an RBI single from Brett Henry. Ditthardt, Michael Precise and Steven
Felix each hit RBI singles in the third before Bryant’s two-run homer over the left-field wall. Troy got four in the fifth, highlighted by a two-run triple from Charley
Williams, and two in the eighth.

That made the job easier for winning pitcher Tyler Ray (6-3), who scattered seven hits and gave up just one run in six innings. He struck out three, and the
freshman has a 3.97 ERA this season.

“For a young kid to be that consistent on Friday nights against the other team’s best, it’s been a great thing to watch,” Pierce said.

Drew Hull pitched two scoreless innings, and Fred Lewis threw a scoreless ninth for the Trojans. Williams went 2-for-6, Ditthardt 2-for-3 and Henry 2-for-4. The
Blue Raiders got two hits each from Tyler Burnett, Rawley Bishop and Blake McDade.

Troy was coming off a midweek series loss to Auburn where the Trojans gave up 39 runs in two games.

The teams play today at 6 p.m. Jason Walls (3-3, 4.03 ERA) pitches for Troy against MTSU’s Kenneth Roberts (5-1, 3.77).