THOMASVILLE, N.C. – Despite pounding out an equal number of hits, the Anderson baseball team wrapped up its regular-season road slate with a 7-2 loss to nonconference-foe Winston-Salem State, Saturday afternoon at Finch Field.
Anderson (13-30), which snapped the Rams' 10-game win streak with its victory in Friday's nightcap, has dropped three of last its last four decisions, while Winston-Salem State (27-13) has won 10 of its last 11 decisions and 21 of its last 23.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Junior William Thomas led the Trojans at the plate with three singles, while sophomore Jackson Strange was 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and also reached on an error.
Junior Andrew Dill (2-2), who collected his third save of the season in Friday's victory, absorbed the hard-luck loss after allowing two runs on four hits – all in the first inning. The right-hander settled down after the opening frame, holding the Rams hitless over the next five innings and allowing just four baserunners over the five-inning stretch. He struck out six Rams and walked four.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The two teams combined for three runs in the first inning and didn't cross the plate again until the seventh inning. Thomas notched a one-out single to center for the Trojans, promptly stole second and scored on junior Michael Rochester's double to left field.
The Rams countered by capitalizing on four singles to push across a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a lead that they would hold through the remainder of the game.
Winston-Salem State added four insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh, while AU responded by trimming the deficit to 6-2 with a solo run with two outs in the top of the eighth. Senior Xavier Peralta reached on an error and moved to second on the play. He scored on the Rams' second straight error, before Winston-Salem State pushed its lead to 7-2 with another run in the bottom of the eighth.
STAT OF THE DAY
Each team recorded nine hits on the afternoon.
NOTABLES
• Dill's six-inning stint equaled his second-longest of the season.
• Thomas leads the Trojans with 21 multi-hit games on the season.
• Miller has 18 multi-hit games and Dillon Carpenter has 13.
• Miller extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
UP NEXT
The Trojans are set to close out the regular season with a six-game homestand, beginning with Southern Wesleyan on Tuesday. First-pitch in the Electric City is scheduled for 6 p.m.