Box score
ANDERSON, S.C. - Freshman Shawn Delmontagne notched a two-two,
two-run triple in the opener and senior Erick Sanderson tossed his
third complete game of the season in the nightcap to help lead
Anderson past Catawba by identical 3-2 scores in South Atlantic
Conference doubleheader baseball action Saturday afternoon at
Anderson Memorial Stadium.
Anderson (13-17, 7-8 SAC) dealt the league-leading Indians
(21-7, 12-3 SAC) their first back-to-back losses of the season,
while snapping a six-game skid.
Game #1
Anderson 3, Catawba 2
Delmontagne, the designated hitter in the opener, was 2-for-3
with two RBI, while shortstop Thomas Padro added a double in four
at-bats and scored a run.
The Trojans worked Catawba starter JJ Jankowski (4-1) for three
runs as the hard-throwing right-hander suffered his first loss of
the season. AU's Marsh Kowalski worked two full innings of hitless
relief to earn the win and Jacob Saxon threw the ninth inning for
his fifth save of the season.
Catawba broke a scoreless tie in the top of the seventh inning
with the first three Indian batters reaching base safely by
sandwiching a pair of walks around a single to right field. With
the bases loaded and no one out, Kowalski came on in relief to get
designated hitter Garrett Furr to bounce into a double play. Senior
Josh Hahn crossed the plate with the first run of the contest, but
after a walk to Brett Underwood Kowalski ended the threat when
Keaton Hawks flied out to right.
The Trojans answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning
by capitalizing on a pair of errors on the part of the Indians.
Padro led off with a double to center and May followed with a
hard-hit liner that was snared by Moyer at first, but the Indians'
first baseman threw the ball into left field while trying to double
up Padro at second.
Padro moved to third on the throw and scored when the Indians'
third baseman was unable to corral Ryan Saxon's hopper to the left
side. Saxon was erased on Sanderson's bouncer to short, but both
Sanderson and Ryan Kirkland scored when Delmontagne ripped his
second triple of the season all the way to the fence in
right-center.
Catawba climbed within a run in the ninth with three singles, but
Saxon settled down to retire the Indians and earn his fifth
save.
Game #2
Anderson 3, Catawba 2, (7 innings)
Sanderson tossed his third complete game of the season by
scattering seven hits, while giving up two runs. The big
right-hander issued just one walk, in the fifth inning, while
fanning six batters and improved to 4-3 on the season. Catawba
junior hurler Austin Moyer suffered the hard-luck loss, dropping to
4-2 after going six innings and giving up three runs off six hits,
while recording five strikeouts.
Freshman Zach Reeves finished the game 1-for-3 with an RBI and
scored a run, as Jonathan Romano and Troy Ambros each added a hit
and scored a run. Junior third baseman Blake May recorded a fifth
inning single that plated two runs.
The Trojans threatened to get on the scoreboard in the second
inning after Ryan Kirkland and Tony Price posted back-to-back
two-out singles, but AU was unable to push them across the
plate.
After threatening again in the fourth, Anderson broke through
with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning by playing
classic "small ball." The first three Trojan batters reached base
and all eventually came around to score, Romano led off the frame
by getting hit by a pitch and Ambros followed with a single through
the right side. Reeves added another shot through the right side to
plate Romano and Thomas Padro's sacrifice bunt moved Ambro to third
and Reeves into scoring position at second. May upped his RBI total
to 18 on the season when his single brought home both Ambros and
Reeves.
Catawba rallied for two runs in their final at-bat, but with the
tying run at second and two out, Sanderson induced CC's Ryan
Bostian to bounce into a fielder' choice with pinch-runner Garrett
Robinson being forced out at second.
Anderson returns to the diamond on Tuesday, when the open a
six-game road swing at former conference-foe Limestone. AU defeated
the Saints, 4-3, in 12 innings back on Feb. 3 in the season-opener
at Memorial Stadium. First-pitch is set for 2:30 p.m. in
Gaffney.