ANDERSON, S.C. – Sophomore Chandler Castleberry belted a two-run homer and junior Matthew Overton hammered a solo home run to lift the Anderson baseball team to a split of a South Atlantic Conference twin bill with Carson-Newman, as the Trojans dropped a 12-10 decision in the opener but bounced back to claim a 3-2 win in the nightcap, Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
Anderson moved to 12-22 overall and 3-12 in conference action with the split and snapped a seven-game skid, while Carson-Newman fell to 22-14 and 5-9, while the Eagles suffered their fourth loss in six decisions.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Game #1
Carson-Newman 12, Anderson 10
Second baseman Will Lindsey was a perfect 3-for-3 in the opener, with three singles and also reached on a pair of walks and was hit by a pitch. Carson-Newman was unable to retire the Hendersonville, N.C., native in any of his six plate appearances, and he also drove in three runs, while scoring twice. Redshirt junior Dillon Carpenter was 4-for-6, with three singles and a double. He also drove in three runs.
Shortstop Jackson Strange added a double and a single, with catcher Tyler Berry posting his second triple of the season to go along with a single. Outfielder Dalton Shaw crossed the plate three times, while centerfielder Cody Adams laced his first home run of the season over the right-field wall and drove in another run with a sacrifice fly.
Senior John McMicking (1-5) took the loss after surrendering eight runs on eight hits, while walking three and striking out two.
Game #2
Anderson 3, Carson-Newman 2
The Trojans made the most of their three hits in the nightcap, with Castleberry drilling his sixth home run of the season – a two-run shot – over the fence in left-center. Overton lofted his first home run of the season deep beyond the right-field fence and Adams added a second-inning single.
Junior right-hander Austin Todd (2-2) earned the win after scattering six hits over 5 2/3 innings, while striking out five Eagles and walking just one. He allowed just two extra-base hits to the 25 batters he faced. Junior reliever Christian Carpenter earned his eighth save of the season by working the final 1 1/3 innings on the mound. The hard-throwing right-hander did not allow a hit or walk a batter.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1
The Trojans scored first with a solo run in the bottom of the first, but the Eagles posted a four-run second inning to take a brief lead before AU responded with two runs in the second and knotted the score on Adams' two-out homer to right field.
Carson-Newman countered by scoring a pair of runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to build a 10-4 cushion, with AU cutting the deficit to five with another run in the bottom of the sixth.
The Eagles posted another two-run inning in the seventh frame, while Lindsey's two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the inning pulled the Trojans within 12-8. After a scoreless eighth inning – the only one of the game – AU held the Eagles without a run in the ninth and scored twice in its' final at-b at to set the final score.
Game 2
Carson-Newman squeezed out an unearned run in the second inning to take an early 1-0 lead, but the Trojans' Overton responded by leading off the bottom of the third with his homer to even the score.
Carpenter was hit by a pitch with one out in the fourth and Castleberry put the Trojans ahead to stay with his two-run homer.
The Eagles capitalized on three consecutive singles to lead off the top of the fifth inning and pulled within 3-2, but Todd and Carpenter combined to shut down the Carson-Newman offense over the final two frames.
NOTABLES
• Dillon Carpenter and Will Lindsey were a combined 7-for-14 on the day and drove in six runs.
• Chandler Castleberry extended his hitting streak to nine games.
UP NEXT
Anderson will get back on the diamond, Tuesday, when the Trojans visit North Georgia. First-pitch in Dahlonega is scheduled for 6 p.m.