ANDERSON, S.C. - Using a season-high 21 hits, the Anderson University baseball team rolled past 12th-ranked Tusculum, 14-2, in the opener of a doubleheader but fell, 3-2 in the nightcap as the two teams split the South Atlantic Conference twinbill Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
With the split Anderson moved to 6-14 overall and 2-7 in league action, having dropped three conference contests by a total of three runs. Tusculum moved to 17-2 and 8-1.
Game #1
Anderson 14, Tusculum 2
Senior third baseman Blake May blasted two home runs, while going 4-for-6 and driving in five runs and scoring three times in the opener. Sophomore left fielder Paul Como was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and drove in three and senior catcher Brett Scarberry ripped three singles in five trips to the plate and had an RBI and scored once. Junior Tony Price added a pair of singles in four at-bats, while senior Ryan Kirkland notched two singles and a walk in the rout.
Freshman Landon Beck (1-3) earned his first win in the Black and
Gold, scattering seven hits without giving up a run in seven
innings of work. The right-hander struck out two and surrendered
two walks. The Trojans worked Tusculum starter Taylor Rakes (3-1)
for five runs, all earned, off nine hits in just 2 1/3 innings,
saddling him with the loss. Four Pioneer relievers allowed nine
runs off 12 hits over the final 6 2/3 frames for Tusculum.
Anderson jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, with
Zach Reeves ripping a one-out double to left-center and crossing
the plate two batters later on Como's single to center.
The Trojans added four more runs in the third frame, making the most of five hits, with Como notching a two-RBI double. Anderson added another run in the fourth, two in the fifth and another run in the sixth to open a 9-0 lead on Shawn Delmontagne's homer to left-center.
May ripped the first of his two round-trippers in the seventh to
increase the lead to 10-0 and after Tusculum scored a run in the
eighth, he homered again as part of a four-run eighth inning for
Anderson.
Game #2
Tusculum 3, Anderson 2
May was 1-for-3 with a walk in the nightcap and also drove in a run, with Kirkland and shortstop Thomas Padro each adding a hit in three trips to the plate.
Junior Erick Sanderson (0-3) threw a full seven innings, while
giving up three runs off four hits and striking out a season-high
eight batters, but took the loss.
Goodman (4-0) also went the distance for TC, giving up just two
runs off eight hits and recorded nine strikeouts.
The Pioneers took a quick 1-0 lead in the series finale, while AU knotted the score at one apiece in the second by taking advantage of three singles. Tusculum regained the advantage with solo runs in the fourth and fifth frames, while the Trojans rallied within a run on three singles in the bottom of the seventh, setting the final score.
Anderson returns to action Tuesday at Belmont Abbey, with
first-pitch slated for 2 p.m.
