JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Using clutch two-out hitting and a standout pitching performance from sophomore right-hander John McMicking, the Anderson University baseball team won the South Atlantic Conference series finale with Carson-Newman, 9-5, Saturday afternoon at the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
Anderson (6-17, 2-7 SAC) handed the Eagles just their third home loss of the season, while snapping a nine-game losing streak by capturing its second road win of the campaign. Carson-Newman slipped to 10-13 overall and 2-4 in conference play and has lost four of its last six decisions.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
The Trojans, who recorded 25 hits, including nine for extra bases in Friday's doubleheader, kept their bats alive with a dozen hits in the finale. Sophomore designated hitter Carson Barrett was 3-for-4 at the plate, with three singles and two RBI. Junior shortstop Tyler Miller was 3-for-5, with three singles and also reached on a walk. Freshman Avery Green added a single, a two-RBI double and reached on a walk and an error. Sophomore Jackson Strange was 2-for-5, with a two-run single and a home run. Senior Stephen McKnight added a single and reached base on a pair of walks, while crossing the plate twice.
McMicking (1-3) collected his first win of the season by limiting the Eagles to just two runs (one earned), while scattering five hits over 7 2/3 innings of work. He fanned seven Eagles and walked just two. Sophomore Christian Hendrix issued a walk and gave up a run in 1/3 inning of relief, while junior Andrew Dill closed the door on the Eagles in the bottom of the ninth. The right-hander walked a pair and struck out one, while surrendering a run.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Carson-Newman took an early lead with an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning, with the Trojans answering quickly with two runs in the top of the second inning, with Green driving in McKnight and senior Avery Sneed with a two-out double to left field after the pair walked.
The Eagles knotted the score with another solo run in the bottom of the second inning, while AU batted around and regained a lead it wouldn't surrender with four runs with two outs in the top of the third, when sophomore Jackson Strange singled to left-center to plate freshman Dillon Carpenter and Barrett, who had led off with a single and was hit by a pitch, respectively. Miller followed with another single to left that plated Strange and boosted the Trojan advantage to 5-2, then Green posted his second hit in as many innings to drive in McKnight to give the Black and Gold a four-run advantage.
Jackson Strange's second home run of the season – a shot down the left-field line to lead off the fifth inning – propelled the Trojans to a 7-2 lead. C-N threatened in the bottom of the fifth with back-to-back two-out walks, but McMicking ended the threat by inducing a popup to Green down the right-field line for the inning-ending out.
Neither team scored in the sixth or seventh innings, with the Trojans padding their lead to 9-2 with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning on Barrett's two-run single.
Carson-Newman trimmed the Trojans' lead to 9-4 with two runs in the home half of the eighth inning and added a two-out score off Dill in the ninth, but would get no closer.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE DAY
• McMicking's 7 2/3 innings on the mound was his longest stint of the season and equaled freshman Christian Carpenter's 7 2/3 innings at Southern Wesleyan (Feb. 22) as the Trojans' longest stint of the season.
NOTABLES
• McMicking's seven strikeouts were a season-high for the Summerville, S.C., native and was just one K shy of Ryan Owens' season-high eight against Lenoir-Rhyne on Feb. 24.
• Miller stretched his hitting streak to seven games.
• Dillon Carpenter, Barrett and Jackson Strange are all riding three-game hitting streaks.
• Green has reached base safely in his last four games.
UP NEXT
The Trojans travel to Lander for a nonconference tilt on Thursday. First-pitch in Greenwood, S.C., is set for 6 p.m.
