GREENVILLE, Tenn. -- A four-run sixth inning helped propel the
Anderson baseball team to a two-run lead, but the Trojans were
unable to hold on, falling, 9-4, in the opening contest of
three-game non-conference series against South Atlantic Conference
opponent Tusculum Friday afternoon at Pioneer Park. Tusculum
(14-12) which brought a four-game win streak into Friday's contest,
jumped ahead 2-0 with single runs in the fourth and sixth innings,
but the potent Anderson offense, held scoreless through the opening
five frames by the Pioneer pitching staff, exploded for four runs
in the sixth inning behind a two-run triple to the gap in
left-center from Erick Sanderson. Chance Thomas led off the inning
with a walk on five pitches and Blake May followed with a single
back up the middle to move Thomas into scoring position. Two
batters later Ryan Kirkland ripped a full-count single up the
middle that plated Thomas and Sanderson tripled to score both May
and Kirkland and put the Trojans ahead for the first time of the
afternoon. Sanderson then scored from third on Jonathan Romano's
sacrifice fly to right, giving AU a 4-2 advantage heading into the
bottom of the sixth. The Pioneers countered with two runs in the
bottom of the sixth to knot the score, while Anderson (9-20),
threatened to put more runs on the scoreboard by loading the bases
with one out in the seventh. Thomas Padro singled to right center
to lead off and with one out, Thomas singled to left and both
runners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. After working
ahead in the count, May was intentionally walked, but the Trojans
were unable to capitalize as the Pioneers' defense recorded an
inning-ending double play to end the threat. Tusculum regained the
lead with five runs in the bottom of the eighth to pull ahead 9-4
and the Trojans threatened in the ninth after Padro led off with a
single to center, and May and Saxon drawing back-to-back two-out
walks, bringing Kirkland to the plate and the potential tying run,
Sanderson, to the on-deck circle. But the Trojans were unable to
push a run across. Anderson and Tusculum wrap up the three-game
series with a doubleheader slated to begin at 1 p.m. Saturday at
Pioneer Park.