Trojans Sweep SAC Doubleheader at Lenoir-Rhyne

Trojans Sweep SAC Doubleheader at Lenoir-Rhyne

HICKORY, N.C. – The Anderson baseball team snapped a four-game skid by sweeping a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader with Lenoir-Rhyne, as the Trojans rallied for a 10-7 win in game one and knocked off the Bears, 2-1, in the nightcap, Saturday afternoon at Bears Field.

Anderson improved to 8-7 overall and 2-3 in league play, while Lenoir-Rhyne (6-11, 0-5 SAC) has dropped five of its last six decisions.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Game #1
Anderson 10, Lenoir-Rhyne 7
Sophomore Candler Castleberry was 3-for-4 in the opener, with a home run and four RBI, while sophomore Trevor Weisner was 2-for-4, with a pair of doubles and two RBI. Classmate Will Lindsey drew three walks and scored three runs.

Senior Will Gee (2-2) earned the win after allowing seven runs on nine hits in seven full innings of work. The right-hander fanned a season-high nine batters and walked just two. Senior John McMicking tossed 2/3 innings of relief and surrendered two hits, while striking out one. Junior Christian Carpenter earned his fourth save of the season by tossing the 1 1/3 innings and not surrendering a hit, while fanning two batters.

Game #2
Anderson 2, Lenoir-Rhyne 1
Castleberry had a double in three trips to the plate, while Lindsey added a single and a walk. Cody Adams, Jackson Strange and senior James Gardner each had one of AU's five hits in the nightcap.

Junior right-hander Austin Todd (1-1) captured his first win of the season by scattering five hits over six full innings and surrendering just one run. The native of Pelzer, S.C., struck out four batters and walked just two. Carpenter struck out one in a perfect inning of relief to close out the victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1
After falling behind, 7-0, after two innings, the Trojans rallied from the early seven-run deficit to take game one.

The Bears scored six runs in the bottom of the first inning on the strength of a one-out grand slam and added a solo run in the bottom of the second frame to take an early 7-0 advantage.

AU got on the scoreboard when Lindsey led off the top of the third with a walk and crossed the plate on Castleberry's infield single. Two batters later, Tyler Berry singled to center to drive in Cody Adams with the Trojans' second run of the afternoon and AU cut the deficit to three when Weisner laced a two-out, two-run double to right field.

The Trojans knotted the score with three runs in the top of the fifth and took their first lead of the afternoon, at 8-7, when Odachowski reached on a fielder's choice with bases loaded in the top of the seventh. Gee pitched out of a seventh-inning jam after the Bears got two runners in scoring position with two outs, as the veteran fanned the next L-R batter to end the inning.

AU added insurance runs in the eighth and ninth innings, while McMicking and Carpenter limited the Bears to a pair of hits over the final two innings.

Game 2
Adams led off the nightcap with a single up the middle and scored three batters later on Odachowski's sacrifice fly, while Jackson Strange drove in what turned out to be the game-winning run with a single to left field that plated Lindsey from third.

ANDERSON STAT OF THE DAY
The Trojans drew 13 walks on the afternoon.

NOTABLES
• Carpenter is second in the conference with five saves.
• Castleberry posted a 1.000 slugging percentage on the day, with four hits, including a double, a home run and four RBI.

UP NEXT
With rain in the forecast for Sunday, the Trojans and Bears are slated to wrap up the three-game series, Monday afternoon at 5 p.m.