BOONE, N.C. – After a neck-and-neck first four innings, Appalachian State University baseball was unable to overcome nine Troy runs scored over the remaining five innings, dropping the 11-3 rubber match on Sunday at Riddle-Pace Field.
The Mountaineers (19-29, 8-16 Sun Belt) were in for a pitching duel early on, giving up just one run in the first inning to the Trojans (26-21, 12-12 Sun Belt) and then taking a 2-1 lead into the fourth.
For App State on the mound was Luke Watts, who went 4.1 innings to start the game before Reed Howell provided two innings of relief. Matt Brill (Coal Valley, Ill./Moline) closed the final 1.2 innings and had his 11-straight scoreless innings streak snapped.
Brill and Jason Curtis led the offense again in Game Three, going 2-for-5 and 2-for-4, respectively, with an RBI apiece. Calev Grubbs also finished with two hits, going 2-for-3, while also drawing a walk.
Tyler Stroup had the third RBI for Appalachian, finishing 1-for-4 with Drake Zupcic returning to the lineup and hitting a double on the day.
After Troy scored the first run, The Black and Gold responded in the second, beginning with an Avery Jackson single to left field before being sacrificed to second on a bunt by Brian Bauk. Brill then smacked a single to center field to bring home Jackson and tie the game 1-1.
Appalachian then took the 2-1 lead in the third after Curtis beat out a throw to first base and then advanced to second on a throwing error to start things off. Matt Vernon then flew out to right field, but that allowed Curtis to move to third, only to be brought home by a Stroup bullet through the middle in the next at-bat.
After six unanswered runs by the Trojans, Appalachian ended the drought in the seventh inning. Zupcic hit a rocket off the right field monster wall at Riddle-Pace and was driven to third by a Grubbs single through the right side. Curtis then got his RBI for the day by chipping one into No Man's Land in shallow center field to bring home Zupcic for the final run of the game for App State.
The Mountaineers will now have a week off due to final exams but will retake the diamond on Friday, May 12 to begin their final three-game home series against South Alabama. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Smith Stadium.
