ANDERSON, S.C. - Nine Trojan hurlers limited longtime rival Erskine to just a pair of runs, as the Anderson baseball team wrapped up the 2016 season with a 7-2 win over the Flying Fleet, Monday night at Memorial Stadium.
Anderson (20-30) finished the campaign by bidding farewell to 13
players and halting a four-game skid, while defeating Erskine
(36-13) for the second straight time, as the Flying Fleet lost for
just the third time in 15 decisions.
The Trojans also added a ½ point to their Beville Cup tally,
giving the Black and Gold a final 8.5-7.0 win in the contest.
Anderson has captured the Cup for four consecutive years and six of
the last seven.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Sophomore Zach McIlroy was 2-for-3 on the night with a pair of
singles, while senior Steven Cooper was 2-for-4, with a pair of
RBI-doubles. Junior Matthew Powell added a pair of singles and
scored a run, with senior Kyle Bailey posting a double and a single
in five at-bats. Sophomore Tyler Miller reached base three times
with a single and two walks and scored all three times. Senior LJ
Newman was 1-for-3 with an RBI-double and also reached base on a
pair of walks.
Senior Cody Sheffield (1-0) earned the win in his first start of the year after surrendering one earned run on one hit. The remaining eight Trojan pitchers held the Fleet to five hits and one run over the remaining eight frames.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Erskine's Sam Cothran gave the Flying Fleet a quick 1-0 advantage
by belting the first pitch of the game over the left-field fence,
but the Trojans countered by batting around and capitalized on six
hits, including three doubles, to score four times.
The Fleet took advantage of a leadoff double in the fourth inning
to cut AU's advantage in half, but the Trojans answered quickly on
Cooper's second straight RBI-double to push back out to a 5-2
edge.
Anderson added solo runs in the in the sixth and eighth innings to cap the scoring.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
The game marked just the fourth contest of the season in which
neither squad committed an error.
NOTABLES
• Cooper reached base safely in 37 of his last 40
contests.
• Newman recorded at least one base hit in 21 of his last 24
games.
• Miller reached base safely in 43 of his 48 games this
season.
• Bailey recorded at least one hit in 12 of his last 14
games.
