ANDERSON, S.C. – Led by a pair of stellar pitching performances in the nightcap, the Anderson baseball team wrapped up its South Atlantic Conference slate by splitting a pair of decisions with Lincoln Memorial, falling in the opener, 11-3, but shutting out the Railsplitters, 5-0, in the nightcap, Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
Anderson moved to 15-32 overall and 9-16 in the conference with the split, while halting Lincoln Memorial's (29-17, 18-6 SAC) win streak at 10 games.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Game #1
Lincoln Memorial 11, Anderson 3
Junior William Thomas was 3-for-5 in the opener, with three singles. Freshman Dillon Carpenter added a single and a double, with senior Avery Sneed posting a single and a pair of walks.
Junior Andrew Dill (2-3) took the loss after giving up six runs on seven hits in six innings on the mound. The right-hander struck out five and walked seven.
Game #2
Anderson 5, Lincoln Memorial 0
Thomas notched a pair of singles in the nightcap, while freshman Joseph Strange was 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored. Sophomore Jackson Strange was 1-for-3 and drove in two runs.
Senior Chris Ayers earned the start on the mound and gave up just a single in 2 1/3 innings. Senior Ryan Owens (5-4) collected the win with 4 2/3 innings of relief. He scattered three hits, while striking out four and walking just two Railsplitters.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1
The Railsplitters took an early lead with three runs in the top of the first inning and added another solo run in the top of the fourth inning before junior Michael Rochester drove in freshman Avery Green with AU's first run, while Miller crossed the plate when Dillon Carpenter reached on an error.
LMU built a 6-2 advantage with a pair of runs in the sixth inning and added five more in the seventh to take an 11-2 lead, while the Trojans scored a run in the eighth when Sneed singled and scored on Jackson Strange's sacrifice fly.
Game 2
The Trojans capitalized on an LMU error and a pair of wild pitches in the third inning and erupted for five runs, while sending 10 batters to the plate. After Miller scored on an error by the third baseman, Joseph Strange beat out an infield single and drove home Thomas with AU's second run of the inning. Rochester, who had reached on the error, crossed the plate on a wild pitch and Jackson Strange followed with a two-run double to the gap in left-center to boost the advantage to five runs.
After AU built the cushion, Owens allowed just two walks and a pair of singles, while just two LMU runners reached scoring position over the final four innings.
UP NEXT
Anderson will close out the season and celebrate Senior Night when archrival Erskine invades Memorial Stadium Monday night. First-pitch versus the Flying Fleet is slated for 6 p.m.
