TROY, Ala. ? University of New Orleans catcher Josh Vander Hey hit a grand slam, and right-hander Bryan Cryer put out another strong outing as the Privateers rolled past Troy 12-3 on Saturday night at Riddle-Pace Field.
Vander Hey went 4-for-5 with six RBIs, and Nick Schwaner went 2-for-3 with two RBIs to help UNO (16-8, 5-5 Sun Belt Conference) clinch its first series win at Troy in three tries.
T.J. Baxter hit a solo home run for the second consecutive night and scored three runs.
Cryer, meanwhile, tossed seven innings -- scattering five hits and giving up three runs. The senior from Denham Springs, La., struck out seven. With the win, Cryer (5-1) moved into a tie for fifth place on the UNO career list with 26 victories.
The Privateers, who have won eight of their last nine, jumped out to an 8-0 lead early after putting up four runs in the first and four more in the third. UNO capped the evening with another four-spot in the sixth.
Travis Burge (4-2) got the loss for Troy (16-10, 5-3) after surrendering nine hits and eight runs in three innings.
“(Burge) fell behind in some counts and we were able to get some fastballs,” said UNO head coach Tom Walter. “Josh Vander Hey had a great night, and that's the way it has been for us lately. We are getting big nights from a lot of different guys.”
UNO got its second straight solid pitching performance. Cryer, who struck out at least seven for the fifth straight outing, allowed just one run and two hits in the first six innings. The effort came one day after Justin Garcia tossed a complete-game, three-hitter in Friday's 6-1 victory.
Troy has just eight hits in the series' first two games.
“When Cryer throws the ball like that, he is tough to beat,” Walter said. “He was locating his fastball on both sides of the plate, and he went the first couple of innings without throwing his breaking ball.
“They have never really seen his breaking ball, so that was huge for him to not have to show it until the second time through the order.”
The two teams will wrap up the three-game series at 1 p.m. on Sunday. UNO will be searching for its first Sun Belt road series sweep since taking three straight at Middle Tennessee in April 2007.
