Box score
HICKORY, N.C. - The Anderson baseball team dropped the opener of
a South Atlantic Conference baseball doubleheader, 6-0, to
Lenoir-Rhyne University, but out-slugged the Bears, 9-6, to earn a
split Saturday at Bears Field.
Anderson moved to 15-20 overall and 8-10 in league play, while
Lenoir-Rhyne improved to 9-26 and 5-12.
Game One - Lenoir-Rhyne 6, Anderson 0
Anderson's Tony Price recorded two of the Trojans' six hits in the
opener, while freshman catcher Troy Ambros ripped a seventh-inning
two-out double to right-center for AU's lone extra-base hit.
L-R senior Brandon Padgett pitched eight scoreless innings to
help lead the Bears to the shutout win, their first of the year.
Padgett (2-2) scattered five hits while striking out seven batters
in picking up the victory.
Senior designated hitter Brian Dice opened the scoring with an
RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third inning which turned
out to be all the Bears would need. L-R opened up a 4-0 lead with
two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on run-scoring singles
from senior outfielder Stephen Andrews and junior designated hitter
Nick Verhein.
Lenoir-Rhyne added single runs in the seventh and eighth
innings, respectively, to close out the scoring.
Dice and Verhein each drove in two runs to lead the Bears. The
Trojans' Brett Campbell fell to 2-4 after suffering the loss.
Game Two - Anderson 9, Lenoir-Rhyne 6
Anderson scored three runs in the top of the first inning and never
looked back in salvaging the split.
The first four batters for Anderson reached base safely, with
the Trojans' Blake May pushing the first run across with an
RBI-double and Anderson would never trail in the contest. Price
followed with a sacrifice fly to center that scored Ryan Saxon and
Erick Sanderson singled up the middle with two outs to bring home
May.
L-R closed the gap to 3-2 in its half of the first on Dice's
two-run single but Anderson responded with an unearned run in each
of the second and third frames to push the margin back to three at
5-2.
The two squads would trade three runs in the sixth inning and a
single run in the seventh to make it a 9-6 final.
Anderson's Brett Scarberry had a two-run double in the sixth
inning, with Price and Sanderson each recording two hits and two
RBI apiece. Shortstop Thomas Padro finished with three hits and an
RBI.
Senior outfielder Chris LaVenia finished four-for-four and Dice
added two hits and two runs batted in for Lenoir-Rhyne despite the
loss. L-R senior shortstop Dan Catalano chipped in with three hits
as well.
Sanderson (5-3) was credited with the win while L-R freshman
Ryan Jones fell to 1-5 after being tagged with the setback.
Anderson plays at North Georgia on Tuesday at 6 p.m., while
Lenoir-Rhyne travels to Misenheimer, N.C., to take on Pfeiffer
Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.