Appalachian State used a 10-run sixth inning to beat Troy 14-10 on Friday at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, eliminating the Trojans from the Sun Belt Conference baseball tournament.
The Trojans (39-20) led 7-0 early and 7-3 heading into the bottom of the sixth before the Mountaineers (29-25) exploded for 10 runs, all with two outs. Third-seeded Troy had the tying run on deck in the top of the ninth, but could not rally.
The Trojans now await Monday’s NCAA Regional Selection Show to see if their season will continue. The 64-team field will be revealed at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.
For much of the day Friday, Troy — which beat App State 10-9 in 10 innings on Wednesday — appeared headed for an easy victory and a berth in the Sun Belt semifinals. But the Mountaineers scored three runs in the fourth before turning the game on its head in the sixth.
The first two batters of the inning reached base on singles against Troy reliever Kristian Asbury, but Brady Fuller got two of the next three hitters to nearly escape the jam. A wild pitch scored the first run of the inning to make it 7-4, then back-to-back walks scored another to pull the Mountaineers within 7-5.
Austin St. Laurent singled home two runs to tie the game, then Alex Reed tripled home two more to put App State on top for the first time at 9-7. After Hunter Wilder walked, Matt Mercer relieved Fuller with two out and runners on the corners.
After a stolen base, Andrew Terrell singled home two more runs to make it an 11-7 game. CJ Boyd followed with a two-run homer to give the Mountaineers a 13-7 lead.
Mercer then allowed a double before finally getting the third out. All told, App State sent 14 hitters to plate and collected seven hits and four walks.
Both teams scored a run in the eighth to make it 14-8, then Troy made things interesting with two outs in the ninth against App State reliever Collin Welch. Kyle Mock singled home Hudson Hartsfield, then Clay Stearns walked and Kole Myers doubled to make it 14-10.
With the tying run on deck, Ethan Kavanagh lined out to center. The game was finally over after more than four hours that saw the two teams combine for 24 runs, 26 hits and 18 walks.
Myers led Troy at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs. Kavanagh had two hits and scored three times, while Tremayne Cobb and Donovan Whibbs both knocked in two.
None of Troy’s five pitchers performed particularly well, with starter Zach Fruit lasting just 3 2/3 innings and giving up three runs on five hits. Fuller (3-4) took the loss, allowing six runs in 2/3 of an inning.
Boyd led the way out of the leadoff spot for App State, going 3-for-6 with two homers and five runs batted in. Terrell drove in three, while St. Laurent and Reed had two RBIs each.
Zach Lewis (3-0) got the win after getting the final two outs of the Troy fifth inning. Mountaineers starterd Bradley Wilson allowed five runs in 2 2/3.
App State advances to face second-seeded Southern Miss at 9 a.m. Saturday. The Mountaineers must beat the Golden Eagles twice to advance to Sunday’s championship game.
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