Troy beats Louisiana, advances to title game in World Series

ENTERPRISE — Troy staged another comeback Tuesday night, rallying from a four-run deficit and edging Louisiana 8-7 to reach the final day of the Junior Dixie World Series.

That wasn’t the only surprise Troy manager Sam Kitchens pulled out of his hat. South Carolina routed previously unbeaten Texas 13-2 to create three teams with one loss going into the final day.

Kitchens drew the bye, meaning the Alabama state champions will play in the championship game tonight around 7:30 p.m. against the winner of South Carolina-Texas — who will be playing for a third time in this tournament.

Kitchens jokingly was asked about the “pressure” of drawing for the bye.

“I said many a prayer in the last hour,” he said moments after pulling a blank slip of pink paper out of assistant coach Russ Harris’ hat following the South Carolina-Texas game.

It created raucous cheers from several hundred Troy fans who stayed to see the championship picture unfold.

The other piece of paper, handed to South Carolina manager Morgan Todd, read “Play.”

“That wasn’t pressure,” Kitchens said. “Our team has faced pressure. We’ve trailed in every game in this tournament and we’re still here.”

Troy defeated Louisiana twice in this tournament. Sunday night, Troy scored eight runs in the fourth inning to turn around an 8-2 deficit. Tuesday, Troy trailed 7-
3 against the team from Monroe going into the bottom of the fifth.

Troy scored four runs in that inning to tie the game, despite making all three outs on the basepaths. They broke the tie in the bottom of the sixth without a
base hit. Speedy leadoff batter Chandler Avant was hit by a pitch to start the inning, stole second with one out, went to third on an error and scored on a wild
pitch by Patrick Whipple, the third Louisiana pitcher.

“I can’t explain it,” Kitchens said. “I’ve got 12 guys who are pulling for each other. Everybody isn’t on the field or in the lineup, but they all find a way to
contribute. The kids are giving everything they have.”

Trailing 7-3, Troy’s Chase Smartt started the charge with a single to center in the fifth. A bunt single by Tripp Blackmon was followed by a single to left-center
by Myles Loving that loaded the bases.

Louisiana’s Will Daniels then relieved Nathan Navarro, who would have been the hero had the outcome been different. Navarro drilled a three-run homer in the
fourth inning to put his team up 6-3.

“He’s done that for me all year,” Louisiana manager Ryan Flemister. “Whatever we’ve asked him, he’s done it. He’s even been a left-handed second baseman
at times, because that’s where we needed to play him.”

Instead, Daniels hit Taylor Lord to force in a run. Rhett Tucker hit a grounder into right field that drove in another run. It also started a strange sequence of
baserunning that nearly proved fatal for Troy.

The throw from the outfield came to home plate. Loving stopped at third. Catcher Whipple alertly threw to second base, where Lord had rounded second and
was halfway to third. He was thrown out trying to get back to the base.

With runners on first and third, Tucker, at first, broke for second base on a steal attempt. He stopped halfway down the line and Whipple bluffed a throw to
second, then fired to third and trapped Loving in a rundown. He was tagged out for the second out. Morgan Shaver drew a walk. He and Tucker moved up a
base on a balk.

Blake Craft then delivered a two-run double to left-center that tied the game.

Craft made the third out of the inning on the bases — but this one he calculated.

The next batter was Avant, who has had a huge postseason for Troy. Avant was being intentionally walked. Craft took off for third and was called out.

“I asked him what was he doing,” Kitchens said. “He said, ‘Coach, they were walking Chad. If I make the third out he leads off the sixth.’ ”

Craft’s faith in his teammate paid off in the bottom of the sixth. Avant got on base and his speed helped him around the bases. He slid under Whipple’s tag on
the wild pitch to Loving.

“The baserunning, it’s hard to fault the kids for being aggressive,” Kitchens said. “Some of its aggressive, some of it is too aggressive. I was coming unglued
with some of it. I wish we had a couple days to practice baserunning, but we don’t.”

A key to the victory may have been Troy starter Tripp Blackmon, who kept his team in the game early. Blackmon gave up a run in the first and a run in the
third, but Louisiana stranded seven baserunners in the first three innings.

“That was huge there,” Kitchens said. “He made some good pitches when he had to have them. He gave up a home run, but we never felt we were too far down.”

Troy took its first lead in the bottom of the third — with some help from Louisiana. Avant reached on a two-base throwing error. John Johnson singled to left,
scoring Avant. Smartt hit a deep fly to right field and Johnson moved to third. Blackmon walked and stole second. Loving reached on a throwing error that
allowed Johnson and Blackmon to score.

Louisiana reclaimed the lead in the top of the fourth. Thomas Nickelson doubled to center and scored on Cade Harper’s one-out base hit. Quin Graves singled
to left. With two outs, Navarro was hit by a pitch, but wasn’t awarded first base when the umpire said he made no effort to get out of the way.

On the next pitch, he hit a three-run homer to center field that put Louisiana up 6-3.

Avant relieved Blackmon at the start of the fifth inning and pitched the final three innings. Daniels doubled to left-center in the fifth, went to third on a bunt and
scored on Nickelson’s groundout to make it 7-3.

South Carolina 13, Texas 2: In the late game, South Carolina stunned as starting pitcher Charlie Barnes held the potent lineup from Texarkana in check.

Texas jumped to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Four singles by Taylor Jones, Alec Campanini, Rashaan Donelson and Taylor Jackson gave Texas,
which defeated South Carolina 3-2 in 11 innings Sunday night, an early lead.

Carolina stormed back with four runs in the third and seven in the fifth to take command. Ian McAffrey singled and scored in the third, doubled and scored in
the fifth and drove in a run in the seventh inning with a bad-hop single as the team from Sumter put the game away.

Barnes, a left-hander, pitched a complete game for South Carolina. He gave up seven hits.

“He pitched a great game,” Todd said. “He changed speeds real well and stayed ahead in the count, which was big against that lineup.”

South Carolina and Texas play for the third time at 5 p.m. Thirty minutes after that game, the winner will face Troy for the championship.