ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson baseball team's nonconference midweek contest against Southern Wesleyan at Memorial Stadium was suspended in the ninth inning due to fog, Wednesday night.
The two teams will tentatively resume the game on Tuesday, April 5, when the Trojans travel to Central, S.C., for a midweek game.
Southern Wesleyan was leading, 9-6, with bases loaded and two outs in the top of the ninth, when the game was suspended due to safety concerns by the umpiring crew.
The Trojans (11-1) were looking to bounce back from its first loss of the season less than 24 hours earlier, while Southern Wesleyan (3-8) was looking to snap a three-game skid.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Kye Andress drew a pair of walks and scored both times, with Justin Fox reaching base on a double and a walk in five trips to the plate. Nick Vella was 3-for-4 at the plate, with a two-run homer, a pair of singles and a walk. Brayden Owens added two singles and a walk, while Luke Poole posted a home run and a single in four at-bats. Shane Thomas was 1-for-3, with a single and three stolen bases.
PITCHERS
AU's Nathan Ledford – the first of five Trojan pitchers on the night - drew the start and surrendered eight runs (two earned) on five hits over 2.1 innings, while striking out one and walking one.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Andress led off the game with a walk and scored when Nick Vella hammered his first home run of the season – a two-out shot over the right-field fence, giving AU an early 2-0 lead.
But Southern Wesleyan took advantage of a double, a single and three Trojan errors to score six runs in the top of the second inning and claimed an 8-2 lead by adding a pair of runs in the top of the third frame.
Andress drew his second walk of the night in the bottom of the third and scored again, when Fox doubled to the gap in right-center, making the score 8-3.
Luke Poole's one-out, solo home run in the bottom of the sixth drew the Trojans within four and they cut the deficit to three when right-fielder Shane Thomas drew a walk and crossed the plate on a double steal, with Fox swiping second at the same time.
AU trimmed the deficit to 8-6 with a run in the seventh, while the Warriors countered with a two-out run in the top of the ninth to set the stage for the suspended contest.
UP NEXT
AU will travel to the coast for a three-game, neutral site series with Staten Island in Myrtle Beach. The Trojans and Dolphins will square off, Saturday night at 7 p.m., then wrap up the series with a Sunday doubleheader that is scheduled for a 3 p.m. first-pitch.
