YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. - With senior Brock Goodling earning the nation's highest 10th save on the season, the Anderson baseball team won its third straight decision over Young Harris by a 6-3 score in nonconference action, Sunday afternoon at Zell B. Miller Field.
Anderson moved to 16-21 with its fifth win in eight games, while Young Harris dropped to 10-23 with its sixth consecutive loss.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Junior Matthew Powell was 3-for-4 at the plate, with three singles
and a run scored, while sophomore Tyler Miller added two singles, a
walk and scored twice. Senior Kyle Bailey was 2-for-5 with a pair
of singles, while Xavier Peralta and Michael Rochester each drove
in two runs.
Senior Mitchell Cooksey (4-2), who shares the team lead in victories, earned the win with 3 2/3 innings of relief. The right-hander surrendered two runs on five hits, while striking out five and walking one. Goodling notched the save after allowing a pair of hits and a walk in the ninth inning.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Trojans capitalized on a pair of walks and fielding miscues by
Young Harris to score twice in the top of the first inning and
added another run in the second inning when Bailey led off with a
single and moved to second on Powell's sacrifice bunt. The senior
from Logansville, Ga., went to third when Miller beat out an
infield single and crossed the plate when Peralta bounced to second
for a fielder's choice.
Anderson pushed its lead to 5-0 with a pair of runs in the fourth frame, as Powell and Miller led off with back-to-back singles and both runners moved up a base on a balk. Powell scored on a wild pitch, with Miller moving to third and crossing the plate on Peralta's second straight RBI.
The Mountain Lions got on the scoreboard with a run in the
bottom of the fifth, while Anderson answered with a run in the top
of the sixth on Rochester's one- out bases-loaded single to right,
as the Trojans built a 6-1 advantage.
Young Harris trimmed the Trojans' lead to three with a pair of runs
in the bottom of the eighth, but Cooksey escaped further damage by
recording the final out of the frame on a strikeout.
The Mountain Lions threatened in their final at-bat, getting the tying run on first base with no outs on the strength of a walk and a pair of singles, but Goodling turned Young Harris away empty-handed by inducing a fly-out to shallow right field and a game-ending double play for the second time in the three-game series.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE DAY
Pitchers Ryan Owens (85), Cooksey (50) and Goodling (22) combined
to toss 157 pitches on the day.
NOTABLES
• With 10 saves on the season, Goodling now paces the nation
in that category. The right-hander has posted a save in each of his
last five appearances.
• The Trojans have won three straight for the first time this
season.
• The Trojans are now 12-8 on the season when scoring
first.
• Anderson is now 11-3 when leading after six innings.
• Cooper has recorded a hit in 11 of his last 14 games and
reached base safely in 25 of his last 26 contests.
• Cooper has drawn 18 walks in his last 11 games.
• Freshman Carson Barrett has reached base safely in 10 of his
last 11 games and has 10 multi-hit games in 23 games.
• Miller extended his hitting streak to six games and has
gotten on base in 23 of his last 24 games.
UP NEXT
The Trojans welcome Conference Carolinas' opponent to Memorial
Stadium for a Tuesday night contest. First-pitch is slated for 6
p.m.
