GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - The Anderson University baseball team pounded out 11 hits, and senior Erick Sanderson recorded his first home run of the season, but the Trojans opened a three-game South Atlantic Conference weekend series with an 11-4 setback to Tusculum Friday night at Pioneer Park.

Anderson slipped to 4-10 overall and 1-3 in the conference with its fourth consecutive setback, while Tusculum improved to 7-5 overall and 1-3 in the league with its second straight win.

Sanderson also added a single in five trips to the plate, while freshman Steven Cooper extended his hitting streak to seven games after posting two hits and scoring once. Junior Josh Hickman was 2-for-5 on the day.

Trojan sophomore JT Trujillo (2-1) absorbed the loss, giving up five earned runs and walking six, while striking out one Pioneer batter in four innings of work.

Taylor Rakes (2-1) earned the win for the Pioneers, who recorded 14 hits, including one home run and five doubles.

The Trojans threatened by loading bases with one out in the top of first inning, but AU was unable to capitalize and the Pioneers posted two runs in the bottom of the frame.

Anderson climbed within 2-1 with a run in the third, as Cooper laced a one-out single down the left-field line and scored on Nathan Galliford's single to right-center. But Tusculum answered with a solo run in the bottom of the inning, two in the fourth and built an 11-1 cushion by plating four runs in the sixth and two in the seventh.

The Trojans trimmed the deficit to 11-4 with three runs in the top of the eighth, but would get no closer.

The Trojans and Pioneers are scheduled to wrap up the three-game set with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.