ANDERSON, S.C. - Bolstered by a 36-hit attack, the Anderson baseball team swept both ends of a nonconference doubleheader with Young Harris, 10-8 and 14-2, Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
Anderson improved to 15-21 with the sweep, while Young Harris fell to 10-22.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Game #1
Anderson 10, Young Harris 8
Outfielder Garrett Bernardo was 4-for-5 in the opener, with three
singles and a run scored, while sophomore Tyler Miller was 4-for-6
and scored three times. He posted a pair of singles, a double and a
triple. Senior LJ Newman was 4-for-5, with a pair of singles and
two home runs, while driving in five runs. Fellow senior Kyle
Bailey added three singles and drove in a run, with senior Steven
Cooper reaching base four times behind a single and three
walks.
Sophomore Nick Contafio (3-2) captured the win after tossing six full innings. The left-hander surrendered four runs on seven hits, while striking out seven and walking four. Senior Brock Goodling earned his league-leading ninth save of the season by tossing the ninth inning. The right-hander walked one Mountain Lion and struck out one.
Game #2
Anderson 14, Young Harris 2
Miller added four singles and three RBI in the nightcap, while
Bernardo was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate, with three singles and
a walk and drove in a pair of runs. Freshman Carson Barrett was
3-for-4 with five RBI on the strength of two home runs. Freshman
Matthew Powell added a single, a triple and a walk, with senior
Travis Smith posting two singles. Sophomore Zach McIlroy was
2-for-5 with a single and a double while crossing the plate
twice.
Sophomore right-hander Andrew Dill (4-0) captured the win by scattering just two hits over five full innings of work. He surrendered just one unearned run, while striking out five and walking four.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1
The Trojans scored solo runs in each of the first three innings,
while Young Harris posted a pair of runs in the top of the third
inning.
Anderson added a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a lead it would not surrender, at 5-2. Newman's three-run blast highlighted a four-run fifth inning for the Black and Gold, as the Trojans built a 9-2 advantage.
The Mountain Lions countered with three unanswered runs over the next two innings, while Newman's second straight home run boosted the lead to 10-5.
Young Harris trimmed the Trojans' cushion to just two with three runs in the top of the ninth, before Goodling came in to preserve the win, while facing three batters.
Game 2
The offense gave the pitching staff all the runs they needed by
scoring four runs in the first two innings, while Dill, Michael
Skelly and Colby Tollison limited the Mountain Lions to just three
hits.
Barrett's three-run homer highlighted AU's five-run fourth inning and the Trojans answered YHC's solo run in the top of the fifth with three more runs on the strength of Barret's two-run shot, as AU built a 12-1 lead after five innings.
Young Harris added another solo run in the sixth, with the Trojans wrapping up the scoring with two runs in the bottom of the frame.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE DAY
Bernardo and Miller combined for 15 of the Trojans' 36 hits on the
afternoon.
NOTABLES
• The twin bill marked the first meetings in school history
since both schools became four-year institutions.
• The Trojans snapped a three-game skid with the win in game
one.
• The Mountain Lions saw their losing streak reach five
games.
• The Trojans are now 11-8 on the season when scoring
first.
• Anderson is now 10-3 when leading after six innings.
• Cooper has recorded a hit in 11 of the Trojans' last 13
games and reached base safely in 24 of his last 25 contests.
• Freshman Carson Barrett has reached base safely in nine of
his last 10 games and has 10 multi-hit games in 22 games.
• Junior Xavier Peralta saw his first action since being
injured last weekend.
• Miller is riding a five-game hitting streak and has gotten
on base in 22 of his last 23 games.
• Sophomore infielder Zach McIlroy has reached base safely in
12 of his last 13 games.
• Senior closer Brock Goodling, who entered the weekend second
in the nation with eight total saves, has posted a save in each of
his last four appearances and now has nine on the season.
UP NEXT
The home-and home series will conclude with a single game Sunday
afternoon in the mountains of North Georgia. First-pitch is set for
2 p.m. at Zell B. Miller Field.
