ANDERSON, S.C. – Dropping the opening contest of the day by just one run, the Anderson University (11-13, 4-10 SAC) baseball team found themselves on the unfavorable side of a pair of games to the Wolves of Newberry College (9-16, 5-6 SAC) at Anderson Memorial Stadium on Saturday, March 16. The Trojans fell by a score of 9-8 in the series opener and fell by a score of 12-5 in the nightcap.

Senior Jackson Van Ness (Yorba Linda, Calif.) recorded four RBIs between the two games, including a three-RBI inside the park homerun in the nightcap. Senior Carlos Hernandez (Maracay, Venezuela) recorded five hits between the two games, with a single RBI to his credit while freshman Zach Stover (Powdersville, S.C.) turned in a trio of RBIs on the day with his four hits split across the contests. Junior Luke Poole (Greenwood, S.C.) notched a pair of RBIs in the opening game as well.

GAME ONE: Newberry 9, Anderson 8

Power was showcased in the opening inning as both teams were able to put runs on the board in the first frame through solo shots from the second batters in their lineups to have the game tied at one. Newberry used single runs in the second, third and fifth innings to retake the lead and expand it to 4-1, but Anderson was able to close that gap by two runs as Poole was able to drive a shot through the left side of the infield to bring around a pair, bringing the game to 4-3.

The teams traded runs in the sixth and seventh innings as well, with Van Ness recording an RBI in the sixth while the run scoring in the seventh was on a wild pitch, moving the score to 6-5 after seven complete. Newberry broke their streak of single run innings in the top of the ninth as they turned in a trio of runs in the frame, a feat that was matched by the Trojans in the bottom of the ninth. The Trojans were set-up with bases loaded with two away in the frame, but Newberry struck out the Trojans final hope, dropping the contest 9-8.

GAME TWO: Newberry 12, Anderson 5

The Trojans were able to take the lead in the second inning of the nightcap as after Stover was able to drive in the first run of the inning with a single to center field, Van Ness added three more runs to the Trojans tally as he was able to burn a shallow set-up center fielder to bring around an inside the park homerun that brought the Trojans advantage to 4-0. Newberry closed the gap to just one run in the top of the third and eventually swung the lead in their favor, scoring a crooked number on the scoreboard in each of the next three innings. The Black and Gold added a run to their tally in the bottom of the fifth, but couldn't overcome the Wolves offense, dropping the second game 12-5.

The two teams return to the diamond tomorrow, Sunday March 17, as they complete their three-game conference series with a single game slated to start at 2:00 p.m.