OMAHA, Neb. — Jabe Boroff hit the go-ahead double in a four-run seventh inning, helping Troy secure a 12-8 victory over Mississippi in an elimination game Sunday at the College World Series.
The Trojans (39-31) erased a four-run deficit and posted their 18th come-from-behind win of the season. They will face the loser of the West Virginia-North Carolina game Tuesday. Boroff, one of seven Alabama natives on Troy’s roster, expressed pride in the team’s effort, saying, “I know the city of Troy is absolutely loving this. What really means the most is everybody’s got our back and everybody wants to see us win.”
Mississippi, which finished 41-23, was eliminated after its second game in Omaha since winning the national championship in 2022. Southeastern Conference teams had previously won 13 straight games against non-SEC opponents in the tournament before Mississippi’s loss.
The game featured perfect weather for a high-scoring contest — sunny, 70 degrees at first pitch, with a 15-mph wind blowing out. The teams combined for 26 hits and six home runs, the second-most in a game at the 15-year-old stadium. It was the first time since 2001 at Rosenblatt Stadium that both teams hit three home runs each.
Mississippi took an early lead, scoring two first-inning runs and going up 6-2 in the fourth after two home runs. Troy’s Sean Darnell homered in the second and later drove in two runs with a single in the fifth to cut the deficit to 6-5. Jimmy Janicki’s 21st homer tied the game in the seventh, and Boroff’s double and Houston Markham’s hit put Troy ahead 9-6.
Reliever Noah Thigpen earned the win, pitching five innings of relief, while JP Robertson took the loss. Troy coach Skylar Meade acknowledged the team’s slow start, joking about having to get on his players after the first inning. “You have to do what you have to do to produce results,” he said.
After falling behind early, Troy’s offense ignited, and the team’s resilience was on display. Meade praised his players’ toughness, saying, “Losers stop when it gets tough, and that’s not what our guys do. And that’s why they’re getting everything they deserve right now and hopefully a lot more.”
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
