GREENWOOD, S.C. – Using a 15-hit attack, Anderson earned a 9-5 come-from-behind road win over Lander in nonconference baseball action, late Tuesday afternoon at Stephen B. Dolny Stadium.
Anderson (3-5) snapped a three-game skid with the win, while Lander fell to 1-6 with its sixth straight loss.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Senior Luke Poole led the offensive charge for the Trojans, with the Greenwood native going 4-for-5 at the plate. He ripped four singles on the afternoon and drove in four runs, including two in the decisive eighth inning. Junior Brayden Owens added three singles, an RBI and scored three times in six trips to the plate.
JC LeGrand posted a pair of singles, a walk and was hit by a pitch in five trips to the plate, while sophomore Brandon Gibbs went 2-for-3, with two singles and a pair of RBI. Junior Kye Andress was 1-for-4, while drawing a pair of walks on the afternoon.
Freshman Cole Davis – the first of seven Trojan hurlers drew the start and allowed four runs on two hits, while walking a pair of Bearcats. Senior Austin Mercado (1-0) was the beneficiary of the late-inning offense and captured the win after limiting Lander to just one single over the final three innings. The Bronx, N.Y., native did not allow a runner to reach scoring position over his three innings of work on the mound.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Trojans struck first with a solo run on Poole's first hit of the afternoon in the top of the second inning, but Lander countered with four runs in the bottom of the frame to grab an early 4-1 advantage.
AU cut the deficit in half with another solo run when Justin Fox led off the fifth inning with a walk, promptly stole second and moved to third and scored when Andress grounded out to the left side. Lander capitalized on a Trojan error to get the run back in the bottom of the sixth, but it was the final time a Bearcat would cross the plate.
While Mercado was stymieing the Lander batters, the Trojan offense got untracked and knotted the score at 5-5 by scoring three runs on back-to-back two-out singles from Gibbs and Poole in the seventh. Two-out offense proved to be the difference again in the top of the eighth, with Owens and Poole combining to drive in three runs.
AU added another run in the top of the ninth to give Mercado some additional breathing room.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE DAY
The 15 hits marked a season high for the Trojans.
NOTABLES
• The nine runs matched AU's season-high scoring output.
• The two teams combined to use 13 pitchers on the afternoon.
• Lander leads the overall series 26-13.
• Lander has won two of the last three and 18 of the last 22.
UP NEXT
Anderson will get back on the diamond Friday, for a nonconference matchup with Limestone. First-pitch at Memorial Stadium is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The Trojans and Limestone will then play a twin bill in Gaffney on Saturday, with first-pitch set for 1 p.m.
