ANDERSON, S.C. – Freshman Brayden Owens' two-out walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Anderson baseball team to a come-from-behind, 6-5, win over league-leading and nationally eighth-ranked Tusculum in the second game of a South Atlantic Conference twin bill, Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. The Pioneers claimed a 6-2 victory in the opener.
Anderson improved to 11-16 overall and 9-13 in conference action by snapping a four-game skid, while Tusculum moved to 22-7 overall and 18-6 in the SAC with its first loss in five decisions.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Game #1
Tusculum 6, Anderson 2
Senior Nick Vella was 2-for-3 in the opener, with a double and a triple and scored a run. Senior Will Lindsey was 1-for-1 as a pinch-hitter, with a seventh-inning single, while Owens went 1-for-2, with a single and a walk. Junior Jacob Kohns was 1-for-2 with a single and a walk.
Sophomore Joseph Cottone (1-4) suffered another hard-luck loss after giving up four runs on four hits in six full innings of work on the mound. The left-hander struck out a season-high 11 batters and walked four.
Game #2
Anderson 6, Tusculum 5
Owens was 2-for-3 in the nightcap, with a walk and two singles, including his game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth. The Easley native also reached base after being hit by a pitch and scored a run. Vella added a pair of singles and a walk, while driving in a run and scoring the winning run. Freshman Tanner Bray was 2-for-4 at the plate, with a double and scored two runs.
Junior right-hander Will McSwain drew the start on the mound and tossed four innings. The right-hander allowed eight hits, but just one for extra bases, and gave up three runs, while fanning two and walking two. Senior Christian Carpenter (3-1) captured the win after tossing five full innings in relief and allowing two runs on four hits, while striking out six and issuing just one walk.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1
Each team posted six hits in the opener, but two of the Pioneers' hits were home runs off the bat of senior right-fielder Brandon Trammell – the first was a three-run shot in the first inning and the second was a two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning that gave Tusculum some breathing room.
Trammell's first round-tripper staked Tusculum to an early 3-0 lead, with the Pioneers building a 4-0 advantage with a solo run in the third inning.
AU avoided the shutout and sliced the Pioneers' lead in half with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Trojans sent seven batters to the plate in their half of the inning, with Vella leading off the frame with his first triple of the season – a shot to right field. Two batters later, sophomore catcher Ryan Brash reached after being hit by a pitch. Owens followed with a single through the left side that brought home Vella. Kohns loaded the bases after drawing a walk and freshman Justin Fox followed with a sacrifice fly to right field that was deep enough to score Brash from third.
After a scoreless sixth inning, Tusculum got those two runs back in its half of the seventh inning on Trammell's home run and the Trojans were unable to rally in the bottom of the ninth.
Game 2
Tusculum struck first with a run in the top of the opening inning, but Vella answered with a two-out RBI-single in AU's half of the first inning.
The Pioneers added a run in the second inning and built a 3-1 advantage with another run in the top of the fourth. But the Trojans responded with a run in the bottom of the fourth when Bray doubled down the left-field line and later scored on Brash's single. AU knotted the score at 3-3 in the fifth when Fox led off with a single, moved to second on Will Lindsey's sacrifice bunt and scored the tying run on Castleberry's single through the left side.
The Trojans followed up by taking the lead (5-3) with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Bray and Owens led off with back-to-back singles and Bray crossed the plate with the go-ahead run when the Pioneers threw the ball away trying to pick off Owens at first. Brash drew a walk and with runners at first and third, Brash laid down a perfect bunt to score Owens, who was racing down the line.
But Trammell homered again in the top of the seventh and the Pioneers evened the score with another run in the top of the ninth – setting up AU's late-inning heroics. Vella beat out a single to the right side with one out in the bottom of the ninth, moved into scoring position on Bray's sacrifice bunt and went to third on a wild pitch. With two outs, Owens hit a single into shallow right field that plated Vella with the winning run as the Trojans' first-base dugout emptied onto the field in celebration.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE DAY
Owens, Tanner and Bray were 10-for-19 (.526) on the day, with two doubles, a triple, three RBI and three walks.
NOTABLES
• Dalton Shaw and Tanner Bray are riding four-game hitting streaks, while Nick Vella and Brayden Owens are riding three-game hitting streaks.
UP NEXT
Anderson will play host to Conference Carolinas-foe Emmanuel, Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m.
