ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson baseball team opened a nine-game homestand by dropping a South Atlantic Conference twin bill with eighth-ranked Tusculum, 6-2 and 14-6, Friday night at Memorial Stadium.
Anderson (10-15, 8-12 SAC) suffered its fourth consecutive setback with the losses, while Tusculum improved to 21-6 overall and 17-5 in league play with its sixth win in eight decisions.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Game #1
Tusculum 6, Anderson 2
The Trojans were limited to three hits in the opener, with senior Cody Adams capturing a first-inning single and freshman Tanner Bray notching a second-inning double and also reaching on a fourth inning walk. Senior Tyler Berry also posted a double and a walk, while freshman Brayden Owens drove in a pair of runs.
Junior right-hander Lucas Smith (2-2), the first of five Trojan hurlers, suffered the loss after giving up three runs on four hits over 3 1/3 innings on the mound. He issued two walks.
Game #2
Tusculum 14, Anderson 6
Designated hitter Trevor Weisner was 2-for-3 in the nightcap, with a pair of singles, while 10 other Trojan hitters posted at least one hit in the setback. Berry, Bray, Owens, junior Jacob Kohns, senior Dalton Shaw, pinch-hitter Will Lindsey, junior Chandler Castleberry, senior Nick Vella, freshman Jackson Van Ness and sophomore Bryan Mitchell all notched a single.
Left-hander Ethan Stalnecker (0-2) absorbed the loss after allowing four runs on five hits in 2 1/3 innings. He struck out two and walked two.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1
Bray doubled with one out in the bottom of the second inning and scored on Owens' fielder's choice two batters later to give AU a 1-0 lead. But the Pioneers countered with three runs in the top of the fourth to take a lead they would not relinquish.
AU sliced the deficit to just one with a run in the bottom of the fourth, when Bray drew a one-out walk, moved to third on Berry's double to right field and scored when Owens lofted a fly ball down the right field line in foul territory that the Tusculum right fielder caught, but it was deep enough to plate Bray from third.
Tusculum made it a 5-2 game with a two-run sixth inning and added another insurance run in the top of the seventh frame.
Game 2
Tusculum jumped out on top 2-0 in the second inning, with the Trojans using a second-inning lead-off double by Castleberry to cut the Pioneers' advantage to just one. After Castleberry reached the gap in left-center, Vella drew a walk and Weisner followed with a bunt single. Castleberry crossed the plate when Bray grounded into a double play.
Tusculum added two more runs in the third to build a 4-1 lead and following an unearned run by the Trojans in the fourth inning, the Pioneers posted a five-run fifth inning to open a 9-2 lead. AU chipped away with solo runs in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings to get within 9-4, but Tusculum put the game out of reach by scoring five runs in the top of the eighth inning and taking a 14-4 lead.
The Trojans answered with two runs in the bottom of the eighth, but were unable to get any closer.
NOTABLES
• Dalton Shaw is riding a four-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in six straight games.
• Tyler Berry has reached base safely in five consecutive games.
UP NEXT
Anderson and Tusculum will get back on the Memorial Stadium diamond, Saturday afternoon for another doubleheader. First-pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
