Wednesday night, the Coffee Trojans scored the most runs they have all season long in Pembroke against the Bryan County Redskins and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The game was the final non-region contest of the year and the Trojans needed some momentum as region play begins next Tuesday night. Coffee defeated Bryan County 16-3 in six innings.
The Trojans jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second when Gavin McElroy drove in Connor Stewart on a sacrifice fly to left. Stewart had led off the inning with a single.
The real damage, however, was done over the course of two innings – the third and the sixth. Coffee scored 15 of its 16 runs in those two frames. Each inning featured a grand slam – one by Carter McMillan in the third and the other by Ben Fussell in the sixth. McMillan’s homer came with Jimmy Timothy, Michael Strickland, and Stewart on base, and it gave the Trojans a 6-0 lead.
In the sixth, Fussell homered with Will Walker, Brax Carson, and Eli Wood on. His blast put Coffee ahead 15-1. Timothy followed with a walk and advanced to second on a passed ball. Strickland singled to left, scoring Timothy for the Trojans’ final run of the game. The Redskins added two runs in the bottom of the sixth but it wasn’t enough to extend the game to the seventh and Coffee won via run rule.
Fussell led the way offensively, going 4-5 with four RBI and two runs scored. McMillan was 2-4 with six RBI and two runs scored. Timothy and Carson also had two hits each. Strickland, Timothy, and Stewart each scored twice.
McElroy earned the win for the Trojans. He scattered four hits across five innings, giving up one earned run while striking out nine. McMillan threw an inning in relief as well.
The Trojans are 3-5 on the season and host the Lee County Trojans Tuesday afternoon at 6 p.m. for the first region game of the season.