WINGATE, N.C. – The No. 2-seeded Anderson baseball team opened the 2023 South Atlantic Conference Tournament with a narrow, 2-0, setback to 21st-ranked and No. 2 seed Wingate, Friday night at the Bulldogs' Ron Christopher Stadium.
Anderson dropped to 24-26 on the season, while Wingate improved to 31-16 with its fifth straight victory and earned its 11th win in 15 decisions.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Facing six-time SAC Pitcher of the Week, Mitch Farris, the Trojan offense struggled to get untracked and managed just a pair of hits – a double by junior Brayden Owens and a single by senior Carlos Hernandez. Freshman Braeden Harrison collected the Trojans' lone walk of the contest.
In his longest stint of the season, senior hurler Trey Princiotto (1-6) scattered eight hits over 7.1 innings of work on the mound, while allowing just the two runs. He struck out four Bulldogs and walked three. Senior Jackson Herring tossed .2 innings of relief and struck out one batter.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Wingate capitalized on a leadoff double and a two-out single to jump on top early, 1-0, after an inning, while AU threatened in the top of the third. Owens went the other way with a one-out double down the right-field line and Harrison followed with a full-count walk. Owens then moved to third on Kye Andress' fly out to center field, but the Trojans came up empty.
Neither team was able to push across a run over the next three innings, but the Bulldogs gave Farris an insurance run to work with in the bottom of the fifth.
The Trojans threatened again in the top of seventh when Hernandez led off with a single to left-center field and moved into scoring position two batters later, but AU was again turned away and was unable to get on the scoreboard.
Wingate got a leadoff single in the bottom of the eighth and their second batter was clipped by a pitch, with both runners getting into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Herring then came on to replace Princiotto and shut down the 'Dogs on two quick outs to keep AU within striking distance, but the Trojans went down in order in the top of the ninth.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
Wingate stranded nine runners on base.
NOTABLES
• AU is now 5-9 in its five SAC Tournament appearances.
• Wingate holds a 27-9 advantage in the all-time series and has won six straight and 11 of the last 12 matchups.
• The Trojans were shut out for just the second time this season.
UP NEXT
Anderson slipped into the elimination backet and will square off against third-seeded Catawba, Saturday afternoon at Ron Christopher Stadium, with first-pitch slated for 2:45 p.m. The Indians were routed, 11-3, by sixth-seeded Lincoln Memorial earlier Friday.
After posting a four-game win streak that included a sweep of the Trojans in Salisbury and a road win at Barton, the Indians have limped home over the remaining three weeks of the season by dropping five of their last seven decisions and eight of their last 12 contests.
