NEWBERRY, S.C. – In a midweek battle that lasted more than four hours and produced 35 hits and 18 walks, Newberry outlasted Anderson, 20-17, in nonconference baseball action, Tuesday night at the Wolves' Smith Road Complex.
Anderson, which opened a four-game road swing with the setback, fell to 9-12 on the season, while Newberry improved to 15-4 with its third straight victory and has won nine of its last 11 decisions.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Freshman Gray Wells was 4-for-6 at the plate and scored four times, while JC LeGrand notched two singles, drew a pair of walks and posted a grand slam in the Trojans' eight-run eighth inning. Freshman Braeden Harrison was 3-for-6 at the plate, while driving in five runs and scoring twice. Junior Kevin Sosa added three singles and an RBI, with Carlos Hernandez notching a two-run single, three walks and also reached base when he was hit by a pitch in the eighth inning.
Freshman Cory Arthur (0-1) absorbed the loss after allowing five runs on five hits in 1.1 innings. He walked three batters.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Trojans scored four runs before fans could settle in their seats in the top of the first inning, with Hernandez providing a one out, two-run single to do half the damage.
Newberry countered by sending 14 batters to the plate in the bottom of the second inning and scoring nine runs. The Wolves added nine more runs in the bottom of the third to build what appeared to be an insurmountable, 18-4, lead after just three innings.
But with senior right-handed hurler Jackson Herring shutting down the Newberry offense for more than four innings, the Trojans chipped away at the deficit by adding an unearned run in the fourth and a pair of runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to climb back within nine runs.
After a scoreless seventh inning – the only scoreless full inning of the game – AU closed to within 18-17 by erupting for eight runs, with LeGrand powering the way with his one-out grand slam over the right-field fence.
The Wolves then responded with a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth to widen the gap back to three.
The Trojans managed to get the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but were unable to push across any runs in their final at-bat.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE GAME
The Trojans' 17 runs scored were the most scored by the Black and Gold since defeating Augusta, 23-10, last April.
NOTABLES
• The 20 runs surrendered were the most since falling, 19-7, at Mars Hill last March.
• AU scored 21 runs in a win over Staten Island last season.
• Braeden Harrison owns a six-game hitting streak.
• The two teams combined to strand 20 runners.
• The two squads combined to use 16 pitchers.
• Anderson leads the overall series with the Wolves, 36-24.
• Newberry has won eight straight in the series.
• The game featured 82 at-bats.
• JC LeGrand has reached base safely in 15 straight games.
UP NEXT
The Trojans will get back into conference play by traveling to Coker for a three-game weekend series. First-pitch in Hartsville is scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m.
