GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - Despite pounding out 20 hits on the afternoon, Anderson dropped a South Atlantic Conference baseball doubleheader, 9-5 and 7-3, to Tusculum Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Park.

Anderson slipped to 4-12 overall and 1-5 in the league with the setbacks, while Tusculum improved to 9-5 overall and 3-3 in the conference with its fourth consecutive win in the nightcap.

Game #1
Tusculum 9, Anderson 5

Freshman third-baseman Evan Small was 2-for-3 with a pair of singles, while junior Paul Como had two hits and drove in a pair of runs.

Junior right-hander Kyle Francis (1-2) took the loss, going 1 1/3 inning in relief, while surrendering four runs (three earned) on four hits and walking one Pioneer.

Billy Sivyer (1-1) earned the win for Tusculum, tossing three innings of relief and giving up three hits, while striking out three Trojans.

Anderson struck quickly, scoring two run in the top of the first inning on Como's two-out, two-run single up the middle that brought home Steven Cooper and Erick Sanderson.

But the Pioneers answered with three runs in the bottom of the frame. Matt Stevens was hit by a pitch, stole second and later scored on Heath Comerford's two-out single. Matt Henriksen would give TC the lead with his two-run home run over the left field wall and a 3-2 advantage.

AU evened the score at 3-3 with a run in the second as T.J. Miller surrendered an RBI- single to Josh Hickman, but retired the next three batters to get out of the inning.

The Trojans took the lead again, 4-3, in the fifth inning on Chris Ayers' sacrifice fly, but TC knotted the score again at 4-4 thanks to Stevens' two-out RBI single to left to bring home Andrew Bowerman.

AU's Cooper reached on an error to start the seventh and later scored on Nathan Galliford's double to the wall in right field to give the Trojans a 5-4 lead, but the Pioneers took the lead for good with two runs in the bottom of the frame thanks to RBI hits from Trey Drewery and Tripper Crisson. TC would add three insurance runs in the eight, highlighted by a two-run triple by Comerford.

Game #2
Tusculum 7, Anderson 3

Junior Josh Hickman was 3-for-4 at the plate, including a pair of doubles, and drove in a run, while scoring once. Zalud recorded a pair of singles in three trips to the plate.

Sanderson (0-2) absorbed the loss for Anderson. He gave up seven runs (six earned) in four innings, while walking three and striking out one.

J-A Shepard (2-0) recorded the victory after going 3 1/3 innings of relief. He surrendered one earned run and struck out six.

The Trojans took a 2-1 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the second inning, as Como reached base on an error with one out and freshman Chris Ayers singled through the left side. Zalud plated Como with the unearned run by singling down the left-field line and two batters later, Hickman doubled down the left-field line, bringing home Ayers.

Tusculum answered with a run in the third to knot the score and added four runs in the fourth and one in the fifth.

Hickman doubled and scored in the top of the seventh on Thomas Goodman's double to right field, setting the final score.

Anderson will get back on the diamond for a nonconference contest Tuesday at Southern Wesleyan. First-pitch versus the Warriors is scheduled for 3 p.m.