Trojans split at Knoxville after comeback falls short

The Trojan baseball team extended their winning streak to nine games with an 11-6 game one victory at Knoxville Thursday night before falling 10-8 in a failed comeback attempt in game two.

Game one

Fairfield scored 11 runs on 11 hits and five walks, led by Kosta Papazogolou who was a triple shy of the cycle after going 3-5 with a homerun and a double and four RBI to go with a run scored.

After yielding a run in the first, the Trojans scored seven unanswered including five in the fourth wedged between runs in the fourth and sixth innings.

The Panthers cut the deficit in half when they scored three of their own in the home half of the fifth, but Fairfield pulled away with four in the seventh before Knoxville added two in a futile comeback attempt.

Cole Engle also hit safely multiple times, going 2-3 with two runs scored, two RBI and two stolen bases.

Cade Lisk was 1-4 with a double and two runs scored, Hunter Hoskins went 1-4 with a walk, a stolen base and two RBI, Hunter Drish was 1-2 with two walks and two runs scored, Tristin Waugh went 1-4 with a walk and a run scored and Austin Simpson was 1-5. Jimmy Kurka hit a solo homerun in his 1-4, two runs and an RBI performance.

Jackson Weaton threw 101 pitches while allowing six runs, five earned, off nine hits and three walks while striking out five.

Game two

Jacob Zuck hit a two-run double on a 3-2 count in the first inning to give Knoxville an early 2-0 advantage in the late-game.

The Panthers doubled that lead to 4-0 before Fairfield got on the board in the top of the fourth when Austin Simpson hit a two-run shot as part of a 3-4 with six RBI and a run scored performance.

Knoxville extended their lead again with four runs in the bottom of the fourth when Striegle, Roberts and Cox combine for four RBI in the big inning.

After Fairfield scored three in the sixth to pull within striking distance, the Panthers scored the decisive runs when they crossed home twice in the bottom half of the inning.

Fairfield charged once more, scoring three more times in the seventh, but it was too little, too late as the Trojans fell for the first time in June with a 10-8 loss.

Cade Lisk went 1-3, Waugh went 1-4 with one run scored and one driven in and Cole Engle was 1-2 with a run.

Caden Jones allowed eight runs on seven hits over three and a third innings, striking out one and walking four.

Brittan Bowman threw two and two-thirds innings in relief, allowing two runs on one hit and one walk while striking out a pair of Panthers.

Fairfield begins the second rotation of Southeast Conference play Monday night when they travel to Washington for a doubleheader beginning at 5:30 p.m.