TIGERVILLE, S.C. – Despite homering three times, including a grand slam off the bat of freshman Chandler Castleberry, the Anderson baseball team wrapped up a five-game road swing with a 15-7 setback at North Greenville, Tuesday afternoon at Ashmore Park.
Anderson fell to 5-12 on the season with its fifth setback in six outings, while North Greenville (15-4) has won nine of its last 10 outings and remained undefeated in six decisions at home on the season.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Sophomore Dillon Carpenter was 2-for-4 on the afternoon, with a pair of singles, while junior Brandon Odachowski added a double and a home run in four at-bats. Castleberry drilled his team-leading sixth homer of the season in the third inning. Sophomore Matthew Overton posted his third homer of the season in the third inning.
Sophomore Christian Carpenter (1-3) took the loss after giving up a run on two hits in 2 1/3 innings of relief. He struck out one and walked one.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a scoreless first inning, the Crusaders took advantage of three hits, including a pair of doubles, to post three runs in the bottom of the second frame.
But Castleberry hammered a bases-loaded, two-out home run beyond the left-field fence in the third inning for the Trojans' first grand slam of the season to temporarily put AU in front and Overton followed with his third homer of the season on a 2-1 pitch to push the Trojans' advantage to 5-3.
North Greenville battled back to tie it with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third and took a 6-5 lead with another run in the fourth inning.
AU threatened to knot the score in the sixth inning after Jackson Strange and Joseph Strange reached base on an error and a walk, but the Trojans were unable to take advantage.
The Crusaders added another run in the sixth on a two-out single, with AU again threatening in the seventh inning. Senior Tyler Miller drew a one-out walk, moved to second when Dillon Carpenter beat out an infield single and went to third on a wild pitch, but both runners were left stranded.
North Greenville added five more runs in the bottom of the seventh to break the game open, with the Trojans cutting the deficit to 12-6 on Odachowski's solo homer in the eighth. The Crusaders tacked on three more runs in the eighth, with Miller drawing a one-out walk in the ninth and later crossing the plate on a wild pitch to set the final score.
STAT OF THE DAY
The back-to-back homers by Castleberry and Overton in the third inning marked the second time this season the Trojans have posted consecutive home runs. Overton and Joseph Strange belted back-to-back homers in the first game of the Alabama-Huntsville doubleheader.
NOTABLES
• The Trojans have recorded multiple home runs in four games this season.
• AU has now notched three home runs in a game twice this season.
• The Trojans are (3-6) versus teams from Conference Carolinas this season.
• The two teams combined to use eight pitchers on the afternoon.
UP NEXT
The Trojans welcome Coker to Anderson Memorial Stadium for a three-game South Atlantic Conference weekend series. First-pitch versus the Cobras on Friday is set for 6 p.m.