OMAHA, Neb. (Interstat) — Sean Darnell went 3 for 3 with a home run and four RBIs to lead Troy past Mississippi 12-8 in a playoff game Sunday afternoon at Charles Schwab Field.

The Trojans, who improved to 39-31, broke a 6-6 tie with a four-run seventh inning and added two more runs on a costly error in the eighth. The Rebels, now 41-23, rallied late but could not overcome Troy’s relentless offense.

Mississippi struck first in the bottom of the first, scoring two unearned runs after a fielding error by Troy first baseman allowed leadoff man D. Decker to reach. Decker advanced on a wild pitch and scored on J. Utermark’s single. H. Federico later doubled to drive in T. Bissetta, giving the Rebels a 2-0 lead.

Troy answered in the top of the second. S. Meier walked and D. Nelson fouled out before Darnell crushed a two-run homer to right field, tying the game 2-2. But Mississippi regained the lead in the bottom of the second when B. Randle homered to right, scoring A. Fawley and making it 4-2.

The Rebels extended their lead in the fourth. B. Randle singled, and C. Reuter followed with a two-run homer to right, pushing Mississippi ahead 6-2.

Troy chipped away in the fifth. J. Pyne singled, and J. Janicki singled to put runners at the corners. After a walk loaded the bases, a balk brought Pyne home. Darnell then singled through the left side to score N. Nelson and Janicki, cutting the deficit to 6-5.

The Trojans took control in the seventh. Janicki led off with a solo home run to left, tying the game 6-6. After a bunt out and a single by Nelson, Darnell walked. J. Boroff doubled down the left-field line, scoring both Darnell and Nelson to give Troy an 8-6 lead. H. Markham singled up the middle to drive in Boroff, making it 9-6.

Mississippi answered in the bottom of the seventh. Federico singled and advanced to third on O. Paino’s groundout. Fawley singled through the left side to score Federico, trimming the lead to 9-7.

Troy added crucial insurance in the eighth. B. Cavill homered to left-center to make it 10-7. Later, with runners on the corners, Boroff reached on a fielding error by Mississippi’s shortstop. Two runs scored on the play, giving Troy a 12-7 edge.

Mississippi’s W. Furniss homered down the left-field line in the bottom of the eighth to cut the lead to 12-8, but that was as close as the Rebels would get. Troy reliever Zach Crotchfelt struck out two in a perfect ninth inning to seal the win.

Troy starting pitcher Noah Thigpen worked five innings, allowing two earned runs while striking out five and scattering no hits. Sean Darnell’s performance stood out after a recent hitting slump; he had gone 0 for 4 in his previous game and 0 for 2 in the game before that.

For Mississippi, H. Federico collected three hits and an RBI, C. Reuter homered and drove in two, and B. Randle added a home run and two RBIs.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Troy 7, Mississippi 6, while its ELO system gave Mississippi a 64.10 percent probability of winning. The Trojans defied those odds with a decisive victory in the playoff contest.