TROY — Troy High School baseball junior Eli Donnan wasn’t going to wait around at the plate Tuesday night in the home seventh inning of the season opener at the Market Street Diamond against Greenville.
With the game tied 4-4 and Ryder Kirtley on second base and Eli Smith on first with one out, Donnan came to the plate with a chance to end the game.
Donnan did exactly that.
He hit a drive over the leftfielder’s head.
While in normal circumstances, it would have been a double — the game ended when Kirtley crossed the plate to give Troy a walk-off a 5-4 win.
Troy had taken a 3-0 lead in the second inning with some aggressive base running.
After Trayce Mercer and Donnan had started the inning with walks, Hayden Frey got down a bunt to move the runners to second and third.
Both runners scored on Owen Harlamert’s grounder deep in the hole for a base hit.
Harlamert stole second and scored on Caleb Adkins RBI single.
Greenville answered with two runs in the third when Seth Delk had a RBI single and anothe run scored on Alex Kolb’s double play ball.
The score remained the same until the Greenville sixth when Ricky Heidrick had a two-run single to give the Wave a 4-3 lead.
Troy then took advantage of the Greenville defense to rally.
After one was out in the sixth, Donnan, Frey and Harlamert all reached on errors to load the bases.
Nick Kaweicki walked on four pitches to force in the tying run, before Greenville reliever Brock Short got out of the jam with two strikeouts.
Jacob Lucas then pitched a perfect seventh inning for Troy, with two strikeouts.
In the home seventh, Kirtley reached on an error and Smith walked to set up Donnan’s walk-off hit to end it.
Mercer and allowed five hits over the first six innings, striking out eight and walking two.
Hutchinson had a double for Troy, as Hayden Bush and Short combined on a four-hitter, striking out five and walking two.
The Trojans were scheduled to play at Greenville Wednesday, hoping for another good ending.
Greenville first baseman Warren Hartzell single Tuesday against Troy. (Photo by Lee Woolery)