ANDERSON, S.C. – Sophomore Matthew Overton drove in nine runs on the day and senior hurler Andrew Dill tossed a two-hit shutout in the nightcap, as the Anderson University baseball team earned a doubleheader split with preseason South Atlantic Conference favorite Catawba, Friday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
Anderson moved to 11-20 overall with its third win in four outings and improved to 6-11 in the conference, while Catawba (18-17, 12-5 SAC) saw its win streak halted at nine games.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Game #1
Catawba 9, Anderson 8
Overton was a perfect 3-for-3, including a grand slam in the bottom of the first inning. The Spartanburg, S.C., native also doubled in the fifth inning and drew an eighth-inning walk, while driving in six runs and scoring twice in the opener. Senior Tyler Miller was 2-for-3 with a double and a single, while also reaching base on an error and was hit by a pitch in the eighth inning. Sophomore Dillon Carpenter added a pair of singles and a walk, while scoring once. Redshirt freshman Chandler Castleberry reached base on three consecutive walks and crossed the plate twice. Freshman Tyler Berry drove in a pair of runs on a two-out, seventh-inning single.
Junior left-hander Matthew Stanley (0-2) absorbed the loss in relief, after allowing two runs on one hit. He walked two and struck out one.
Game #2
Anderson 8, Catawba 0
Miller was 2-for-3 in the nightcap, with two singles and a walk, while Overton slammed a three-run homer in the bottom of the first. Junior Jackson Strange added an RBI-single in the third and an RBI-double in the fifth.
Dill tossed a complete-game gem in the nightcap, while limiting the five-time defending conference champions to a pair of singles and just one runner reached scoring position. The right-hander struck out a season-high eight batters and walked three.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1
Overton gave AU an early 4-0 lead with his first grand slam of the season in the bottom of the first inning, while the Indians chipped away with a pair of runs in the second inning and another run in the top of the third.
The Trojans got the run back in the bottom of the third and doubled up Catawba, 6-3, on Overton's RBI-double in the fifth inning. The Indians climbed back within two with a solo run in the sixth and rallied to take a 7-6 edge with three runs in the top of the seventh.
But Berry's clutch one-out single in the bottom of the seventh with Overton and Strange on base gave the Trojans an 8-7 lead. Following a scoreless eighth inning, the Indians' Joe Butts pulled a two-run homer over the left-field fence that proved to be the game-winner, as the Trojans were unable to score in their half of the ninth inning.
Game 2
Thomas, Miller and Carpenter posted back-to-back-to-back singles to open the bottom of the first inning and give the Trojans a quick 1-0 advantage. Two batters later, Overton belted his seventh home run of the season beyond the fence in right-center to boost AU's lead to four.
Overton notched a one-out single in the third inning and crossed the plate when Strange followed with a single to left, giving AU a 5-0 lead. The Trojans built their advantage to six in the fifth inning after Castleberry ripped a one-out single back up the middle and scored on Strange's double to the gap in left-center.
AU finished out the scoring by scoring a pair of unearned runs after loading the bases in the bottom of the sixth inning.
STAT OF THE DAY
Overton was a combined 4-for-5 on the afternoon, with the two home runs, nine RBI, a double and a pair of walks. He posted a 2.200 slugging percentage and a .750 on-base percentage.
NOTABLES
• The win in game two marked AU's first shutout since blanking King, 2-0, in the second game of the season on Feb. 3.
• Dill's performance marked the pitching staff's first complete game of the season.
UP NEXT
The Trojans and Indians will wrap up the three-game set with a single game on Saturday afternoon. First-pitch in the rubber match is scheduled for 1 p.m.
