Lowther K's 8, Soria Goes Yard in Season Opening Win at Troy

Friday, February 17

Troy, Ala.

7 p.m.

Xavier University

1-0

Troy

0-1

Xavier

Troy

Lowther K's 8, Soria Goes Yard in Season Opening Win at Troy

02.17.17 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Lowther ties career-high with eight strikeouts in stellar season debut

By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletics Communication

TROY, Ala. - Zac Lowther tied a career-high with eight strikeouts and Nate Soria launched a two-run homer as Xavier baseball got off to a winning start to the 2017 season, 6-2, at Troy on Friday evening.

Xavier put three on the board immediately in the first inning, getting an RBI single from Conor Grammes in his first collegiate AB. Nate Soria then followed with a 2-run homer to give XU a 3-0 lead.

Xavier added more insurance later, scoring runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

Meanwhile, junior Zac Lowther (1-0) was dominant on the mound. The lefty allowed just one hit and fanned eight for the fourth time in his career.

XU AT THE PLATE

• Conor Grammes went 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI in his collegiate debut, batting in the cleanup spot.
• Soria (2-for-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI), Will LaRue (2-for-4, RBI) and Matt Fallon (2-for-4, R, RBI) also had multi-hit performances.
• Soria's homer was the seventh of his Xavier career and was his second straight game with a homer, as the junior also went yard in XU's regional final game against UC Santa Barbara last spring.
• Fallon's fifth inning single gave him a nine-game hitting streak dating back to 2016.
• Chris Givin (1-for-3, R) and Rylan Bannon (1-for-4) also had hits.

XU ON THE MOUND

• Starter Zac Lowther (1-0) got off to a solid start, tying a career-high with eight strikeouts in five innings of work. The lefty allowed just one hit and two walks en route to the win.
• Lowther tossed 93 pitches overall and has now lasted five innings or more in 16 of his last 17 outings.
• Sophomore Matt Kent was fantastic in relief, setting down the first six he faced and earning his first career save with four innings of scoreless ball. The righty also struck out three and allowed just two hits.

HOW XU SCORED

FIRST INNING: Chris Givin drew a leadoff walk, stealing second and moving to third on a throwing error before coming around to score on a single by Conor Grammes. Nate Soria followed with a two-run homer to left field, making it a 3-0 game for XU.
FOURTH INNING: Nate Soria singled with one out, reaching second on a fielder's choice and coming around to score on a single by Will LaRue.
FIFTH INNING: Three straight singles by Matt Fallon, Chris Givin and Rylan Bannon loaded the bases to begin the frame. Joe Gellenbeck then lofted a sacrifice fly to right field to make it a 5-2 game.
SIXTH INNING: Mitch Gallagher was hit by a pitch to start the inning, advancing to second on a wild pitch and going to third on a balk before scoring on a Will LaRue single through the right side.

ETC.

• Coming off a season in which XU tied the school record for fielding percentage (.974), Xavier played spotless defense on the night.
• The Musketeers stole three bases, including swipes by Chris Givin, Rylan Bannon and Will LaRue.

UP NEXT

• Xavier continues the weekend series at Troy with a Saturday doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. tomorrow at Riddle-Pace Field. Live stats will be available through TroyTrojans.com.