OMAHA, NE – Steven Meier wasn’t fazed. Not down by two runs, not even down by four.
The Troy baseball team upset Ole Miss12-8 on Sunday to survive a College World Series elimination game, rallying to come back from a 6-2 deficit that the Trojans center fielder had seen before.
“I hear Steve Meier going ‘It’s 6-2. Same score as Miami, same inning, same start. We’ll win the game,” said Trojans coach Skylar Meade. “I thought I was the only weirdo that remembers those things. Steve, he’s our weirdo, you know? He remembers those things, and he means it. Everybody has their little niche of what they bring to the table. Steve having that sort of memory and saying that, and believing it, that’s his role.”
Meier was unable to finish the game due to an injury, but his reminder a 6-2 deficit was nothing his teammates hadn’t recovered from before came at the right time. Troy rallied for four runs in the seventh inning and three more in the eighth to send the Rebels home and extend their stay in Omaha for at least two more days. Troy will next play the loser of Sunday night’s game between West Virginia and North Carolina.
“People don’t remember your stats, they remember if you’re a winner or not,” added Meade.
Despite 31 losses on the year, the Trojans have found an explosive postseason offense that has carried the team to Omaha. On Sunday, Troy hit three home runs among 14 hits. An Ole Miss error that scored two late runs, on a dropped pop-up, helped seal the victory as well.
“We scored runs, but we just couldn’t stop them,” said Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco. “… They hit a fastball out (of the park), a slider out, and I think a change-up out.”
Sean Darnell had Troy’s most productive day at the plate, reaching base in all five of his plate appearances: a home run, two singles, a walk and a hit by pitch. He scored three runs and drove in four. Jimmy Janicki hit a solo homer to tie the game at 6-6. Troy also got a home run from Blake Cavill.
Reach Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X @chasegoodbread.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Troy fends off elimination vs Ole Miss in College World Series
