Trojans Split SAC Doubleheader at Mars Hill

Trojans Split SAC Doubleheader at Mars Hill

MARS HILL, N.C. – With six players recording at least two hits on the afternoon, the Anderson baseball team claimed its second straight series win over a South Atlantic Conference opponent, as the Trojans split a twin bill with Mars Hill by winning game one, 18-7, and falling 5-4 in the nightcap, Saturday afternoon at Henderson Field.

Anderson (18-24, 10-14 SAC) has won six of its last eight decisions and has moved into a tie with the Lions for eighth place in the conference standings.

Mars Hill dropped to 20-23-1 overall and 10-14 in the league, while suffering just its third setback in 16 outings.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Game #1
Anderson 18, Mars Hill 7
Sophomore Dillon Carpenter was 4-for-5 and homered twice, while driving in a season-high seven runs, with sophomore Matthew Overton going 3-for-4 in the opener with a two-run homer and a pair of singles and two RBI, while crossing the plate three times. Senior Tyler Miller was 3-for-5, with his second home run in as many days and scored three runs.

Junior Jackson Strange was 3-for-6, with an RBI and two runs scored, while posting three doubles. Redshirt freshman Chandler Castleberry drove in a pair of runs and scored twice, with Tyler Berry notching three RBI, including two on bases-loaded walks. Senior William Thomas walked twice and scored both times.

Junior right-hander Will Gee (3-6) earned the win after allowing five runs on seven hits over five innings. He struck out two and walked two.

Game #2
Mars Hill 5, Anderson 4
Miller added two singles in the nightcap, while Castleberry was 2-for-4 and belted his second home run in four games.

Senior Andrew Dill (2-4) absorbed the loss after surrendering four runs on five hits in three innings of work. He struck out six and issued two free passes.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1
Mars Hill jumped in front early with two runs in the bottom of the first, but the Trojans responded by putting a crooked number up on the scoreboard in five of the next eight innings, including eight runs in the seventh inning to put the game out of reach.

After Jackson Strange scored a run in the top of the second to cut the Lions' lead in half, Miller and Carpenter led off the third frame with back-to-back home runs to give AU the lead for good. The Trojans claimed a 6-2 advantage on Carpenter's three-run homer in the fourth. Mars Hill countered with three runs in the bottom of the fifth, before AU built an 8-5 lead with two more in the sixth inning.

The Lions climbed within two in the bottom of the sixth, but AU sent 14 batters to the plate in the seventh inning en route to scoring eight times and taking a 16-6 lead. Mars Hill scored a solo run in the eighth inning, but the Trojans set the final score with a pair of runs in the top of the ninth.

Game 2
While the Trojans managed just one hit through three innings, Mars Hill scored a pair of runs in both the second and third innings to take a 4-0 lead. AU scored two runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth after Mars Hill added one in the fourth to set the score at 5-4 after five innings and neither team managed to push across a run in the final two innings.

STAT OF THE DAY
The two teams combined for nine home runs in the doubleheader, while the Trojans equaled their second-highest run output (18) of the season in the opener.

NOTABLES
• AU has scored a combined 110 runs and recorded 121 hits over its last 10 games.
• Anderson and Mars Hill are tied for eighth place in the league standings, with three games remaining on the league schedule. They trail Lenoir-Rhyne and Newberry, who are tied for sixth place by two games.
• The Trojans equaled a season high with 10 walks in the opener.
Chandler Castleberry and Tyler Miller each stretched their hitting streak to five games.
• Miller has reached base safely in 35 consecutive games.
Jackson Strange extended his hitting streak to 10 games.
• AU claimed its' 10th win in the last 13 matchups with the Lions.

UP NEXT
AU wraps up the regular season with a season-high seven-game homestand by welcoming Limestone to the Electric City for a rare Monday doubleheader. The Trojans and Saints will square off at 4 p.m.