Troy has filed an official protest over the finish of the final game of their weekend, a game that ended in a 4-3 loss to Southern Miss.
Following the Saturday afternoon affair, the Trojans filed a protest less than two hours after the game ended, according to social media time stamps. While no video is available of the full incident in question, here’s the best explanation that we have assembled.
JWOS spoke to neutral sources who were present and/or had knowledge of the event’s proceedings in order to put together this timeline of events. The game was played at Jane B. Moore Field at Auburn, a neutral-site contest.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Troy and Southern Miss were tied 3-3. Southern Miss had runners on base and were still batting. As the home team, if the Golden Eagles scored, the game would be over. Troy pitcher Kynsley Blasingame entered the game to face Southern Miss hitter Heather Hill. There was one out. On the fourth pitch of Hill’s at-bat – following three foul balls – and in the middle of Blasingame’s delivery, the stadium music abruptly turned on. The music lasted for less than two seconds, according to sources, and the one video that is available (from the Southern Miss dugout, and only showing the hitter, catcher, and umpire) not only does not seem to capture the musical interlude, but does not seem to show any of the depicted participants visibly reacting at any point from the ready-to-pitch until the pitch is delivered. Hill went on to hit a single over the left fielder’s head that scored the winning run.
Head coach Beth Mullins, per sources, vehemently protested on the spot but to no avail. Some sources reported seeing the third-base umpire raise his hands in the classic “time out” sign, but other sources said they did not witness this. Troy occupied the third-base dugout for the game.
Troy’s protest requests that the game be declared a no-contest, according to a team statement. A postgame press release from Troy seemed to misstate the situation, as they wrote that a no-pitch was called, when in fact none was, according to our sources. Troy also has refused to recognize the game’s result, touting their win-loss record as 16-4 (the loss made the Trojans 16-5 on the year).
Earlier in the day, Troy had won the first game of the teams’ doubleheader by a score of 5-4.
