GAFFNEY, S.C. - Totaling four runs in the final three innings, Anderson University baseball's late rally was just enough to claim the 4-2 victory over nonconference rival Limestone on Tuesday afternoon at Founders Federal Credit Union Stadium.
With the victory, the Trojans move above .500 on the season with a 10-9 record, while the Saints drop their 13th straight game and move to 4-17 for the year.
Five different Trojans tallied multi-hit games, as the Black and Gold recorded 13 hits for the contest. Freshman third baseman Zach McIlroy led AU with a 3-for-4 performance with a run scored and a pair of stolen bases. McIlroy's single in the top of the eighth inning proved to be the eventual game-winner as he sent a pitch into right field and brought Stephen McKnight home to give AU its first lead of the game at 3-2.
McKnight also recorded a multi-hit game by finishing 2-for-5 with a run scored and one RBI. Both of McKnight's singles on the day came in the eighth and ninth innings, as he provided Anderson an insurance run in the top-half of the ninth.
The middle of the Trojan lineup shined, as Garrett Bernardo, Steven Cooper and LJ Newman all posted two hits for the contest, as Cooper's seventh-inning single drove in Bernardo for the Black and Gold's first run of the afternoon. Cooper and Newman also notched doubles on the day, while Nick Bernardo's two-bagger to right center evened the score at 2-2 in the eighth. For Nick Bernardo, the extra-base knock was his only hit of the day.
On the hill, senior right-hander JT Trujillo earned the victory after tossing two complete innings in relief and striking out one Limestone hitter. Trujillo entered after freshman John McMicking pitched the first five innings and held the home side to just three hits. Following Trujillo's two innings, senior right-hander Evan Jordan earned his first save of the season with two innings pitched and two strikeouts.
Limestone was led by Logan Conley and Kyle Booth with two hits apiece, as Booth recorded Limestone's lone extra-base hit of the day with a double.
Anderson returns to action on Wednesday when it welcomes Southern Wesleyan to Memorial Stadium. First pitch against the Warriors is scheduled for 6 p.m.
