Troy rallies – Troy avoided elimination Sunday in the College World Series, erasing a 6-2 deficit to beat Ole Miss 12-8. The Trojans scored four times in the seventh inning and three more in the eighth, forcing their stay in Omaha for at least two more days.
Omaha, NE — Troy didn’t just survive elimination. It turned a familiar-looking hole into a comeback quick enough to keep the Trojans’ season alive.
Steven Meier watched the deficit climb as the game’s early momentum slipped away from his team — down 6-2. then down 4. But coach Skylar Meade insisted the moment didn’t break the group. He pointed to a specific message from Meier that stuck in the dugout. even after Meier couldn’t finish the game due to an injury.
“ 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.”.
Troy’s response arrived at exactly the point where the season could have ended. The Trojans scored four runs in the seventh inning and three more in the eighth, sending Ole Miss home and extending Troy’s 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.
Meade summed up what the comeback meant to a group still carrying a difficult regular-season record. “People don’t remember your stats, they remember if you’re a winner or not,” he added.
The offense that powered Troy into Omaha has been anything but quiet in the postseason. Despite 31 losses on the year, the Trojans have produced at the right time, and Sunday’s game delivered the blueprint: three home runs among 14 hits.
Ole Miss helped shape the end of the contest with an error that scored two late runs, sparked by a dropped pop-up. Even with the mistakes, Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said the bigger problem was Troy’s ability to finish at the plate once opportunities appeared.
“We scored runs, but we just couldn’t stop them,” Bianco said. “… They hit a fastball out (of the park), a slider out, and I think a change-up out.”
Sean Darnell led Troy’s charge with a standout 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 tied the game at 6-6 with a solo homer, but Troy’s later innings flipped the scoreboard for good. Blake Cavill added a home run as well, part of a late surge that made Meier’s reminder feel less like a memory and more like a plan.
For Ole Miss, the loss was a sharp turn after holding a lead deep into the game — the kind of swing that turns an elimination scenario into a longer stay. For Troy, it was the kind of recovery it had been waiting to repeat.
Troy baseball Ole Miss College World Series Omaha Skylar Meade Steven Meier Mike Bianco Sean Darnell Jimmy Janicki Blake Cavill
Down 6-2 and still won… baseball is wild.
So they were like “same score as Miami”?? That’s actually crazy if it’s true. I didn’t realize Troy was gonna do all that in the 7th and 8th though.
Am I missing something, because it says Steven Meier couldn’t finish due to an injury but they keep quoting him like he was coaching? Sounds like they just wanted a story more than the game. Either way, 12-8 is a comeback for sure.
Baseball headlines always act like it’s destiny. “People don’t remember your stats” okay but you literally have to have stats lol. Also Omaha for 2 more days like that’s the whole prize. If Troy plays whoever they play next, hope they don’t choke again like I feel they will.