ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson pitching staff combined to limit Bluefield State to just eight hits and one run over 16 innings, but the offense was stymied for much of the nightcap, as the Trojans split its Opening Day doubleheader with the Big Blue, with AU winning the opener, 6-0, but they dropped the second contest, 1-0, Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Game #1
Anderson 6, Bluefield State 0
Senior Justin Fox was 2-for-2 in the opener, with a pair of singles and scored three times, while also recording a walk. Junior Kye Andress also posted a pair of singles, drew a walk and scored a run in five trips to the plate. Designated hitter James Hanvey added a single, drove in a run and crossed the plate once, with Braeden Harrison adding an RBI-single in the fifth inning.
PITCHERS
Junior Graham Brown earned the win in his first appearance with the Black and Gold, with the right-hander striking out seven Big Blue batters over five full innings of work on the mound. The Harrisburg, N.C., native allowed just four hits and did not walk a batter. Nathan Ledford tossed three innings in relief, while fanning one batter and walking one.
Game #2
Bluefield State 1, Anderson 0
Andress was 2-for-4 in the nightcap, with two more singles, while senior catcher Carlos Hernandez added a first-inning single and a third-inning walk. Designated hitter Gray Wells notched a single and a walk in three trips to the plate, with junior Jackson Van Ness adding a single in three at-bats.
PITCHERS
Senior Trey Princiotto took the tough-luck loss after allowing just one run on two hits, while walking one and striking out four batters. Austin Mercado worked the final three innings and allowed just one single and one walk while fanning three batters.
Bluefield State's Zach Powell earned the complete-game victory by limiting AU to five hits – all singles. He struck out six batters and walked four.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1
The Trojans scored a pair of runs in the second inning and again in the fourth inning – all with the benefit of just one single and by capitalizing on three walks, four stolen bases and five wild pitches by the Big Blue.
AU tacked on solo runs in the fifth and eighth frames to round out the scoring.
Game 2
The Trojans got a runner on base in every inning but the fourth and threatened in the first, second and sixth frames, but were unable to push a run across, while junior Cole Cote provided Powell with all the offense the hurler needed with his solo home run deep over the left-field fence in the top of the fourth.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE DAY
AU turned four double plays in the opener.
NOTABLES
• AU leads the brief overall series, 4-1.
• Fox swiped three bases in the first game.
• The two teams combined to commit nine errors on the day.
• Just one of the two teams' 19 hits was for extra bases – Cote's solo home run.
• Bluefield State went 22-27 overall last season, while posting its first 20-win season in school history a year ago.
• The Trojans are playing 16 of their first 20 games in the Electric City.
UP NEXT
AU and Bluefield State will wrap up the three-game series, Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
