FOREST CITY, N.C. - Fueled by home runs by graduate student Nick Bernardo and junior Steven Cooper, sixth-seeded Anderson University baseball earned its first South Atlantic Conference Tournament victory in program history with a 12-3 triumph over seventh-seeded Brevard in the opening round of the SAC Tournament Thursday evening at McNair Field.
With the victory, the Trojans improve to 21-28 on the season and claim their third win over the Tornados this season. BC, which was the first No. 7 seed in SAC Tournament history after the field expanded to eight for the first time in league history, closed its season with a 19-26 mark.
The Black and Gold pounded 13 hits for the contest, as Cooper and freshman third baseman Tyler Miller recorded three hits apiece. Cooper headlined the lineup with six of the team's nine RBI with a three-run homer in the seventh inning and a two-run double in the eighth inning. Miller added three singles and scored twice from the No. 2 spot in the lineup.
The trio of second baseman Kyle Bailey, catcher LJ Newman and right fielder Nick Bernardo added two hits piece, highlighted by Bernardo's solo home run to begin a six-run seventh inning. The three AU hitters scored two runs apiece, while Garrett Bernardo added a 1-for-3 performance with a run scored and a RBI.
Junior right-hander David Thompson earned his third victory of the season after tossing three complete innings. Thompson came in relief after left-hander Nick Contafio exited after the first inning and struck out three BC hitters. Senior right-hander JT Trujillo entered the game in the fifth and completed four innings with five strikeouts and did not allow a walk. Freshman Andrew Dill closed the door with an inning pitched and a strikeout.
After AU scored a run in the second and in the third to take a quick 2-0 lead, Brevard bounced back with a run in the top of the third. With the game in favor of the Trojans at 2-1, Anderson scored twice in the fourth when senior shortstop Brett Cash came home on a wild pitch and Garrett Bernardo scored on a Zach McIlroy ground out, pushing the score to 4-1.
Brevard came back with runs in the fifth and six to bring the score to 4-3, but the Trojans broke the game open with six runs in the seventh and two runs in the eighth to close the evening's scoring. Cooper recorded five of his six RBI in the seventh and the eighth, as the junior snapped a five-game hitless streak.
The Trojans advance to the traditional six-team double-elimination bracket and will link up with top-seeded and regular-season champion Catawba on Friday. First pitch from McNair Field is slated for noon.
