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ANDERSON, S.C. - Using just two pitchers for the afternoon,
Anderson University baseball completed the series sweep over South
Atlantic Conference newcomer, Coker, with a 6-3 win in the opening
game, followed by a 5-4 victory in the final game to clinch the
winning weekend Saturday afternoon at Anderson Memorial
Stadium.
With the back-to-back victories, the Trojans are currently
riding a four-game winning streak after pulling out a marathon win
over North Greenville, 22-12, on Thursday night and followed with a
9-5 win over the Cobras on Friday. The wins propel AU up the SAC
standings as four teams currently carry three conference losses,
but sit at the top of the league, which includes the Trojans at
6-3.
"This (sweep) was exactly what this team needed," Anderson head
coach Joe Miller said. "We have been playing hard these past few
weeks and we ended up on the wrong side of the scoreboard. It feels
good to get these wins over a good team."
The wins were highlighted by two stellar pitching performances
from starters Thomas Goodman and Landon Beck. Goodman started the
first game on the hill and recorded his fourth career complete
game, striking out eight Coker hitters and walked none. The senior
gave up three runs and faced just 34 batters for the game, earning
his second win on the year.
Beck continued the trend of strong performances by Trojan
starters, recording his second complete game for the 2014 campaign,
tossing seven innings and striking out 10. For his three starts
this season, Beck has posted double digit strikeouts in each
appearance, while holding the conference lead in punch-outs with 40
for the year. Beck is averaging an impressive 14.40 strikeouts per
game, which also leads the league.
Anderson missed tallying double figure hits for the fourth
straight game by one in the seven-inning series finale as the
Trojans combined for 33 hits and an astounding .371 average for the
series. Senior left fielder Nathan Galliford provided the spark for
the weekend, banging out a home run in each game of the series.
After putting a pitch over the left-field wall on Friday, Galliford
knocked two balls over the center-field fence on Saturday,
including the eventual game-winner to put AU up 5-4 in the second
game of the day.
Currently, Galliford leads the SAC in round-trippers with seven
as five players are tied for second-place in the category with
four.
After extending his hitting streak to 15 games with three hits
in the first game of the day, sophomore first baseman Steven Cooper
came up empty in the hits column in game two, snapping the team's
longest hitting streak. In the opening contest, the sophomore went
3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. For the season, Cooper is
hitting .333 and ranks second in the SAC in doubles with nine.
Cooper trails only to teammate Paul Como who has totaled 10
doubles for the year, as the senior outfielder added three doubles
during the series and is currently riding a seven-game hitting
streak. In the first game of the day, Como finished 3-for-4 with
two RBI and a run scored.
Despite not recording a hit in the opening contest, senior
Jonathan Zalud went 2-for-3 in the nightcap with a double and a run
scored. For the year, Zalud is hitting .395 with a .553 slugging
percentage.
Middle infielder Brett Cash tallied three hits on the afternoon,
extending his hitting streak to seven games, while sophomore
catcher LJ Newman posted a perfect 2-for-2 performance in the
second game.
In the first game, both teams struggled offensively though the
first three innings, combining for just three hits. Anderson broke
the scoreless trend by plating three runs in the fourth,
highlighted by a two-RBI single by Como. Sophomore Garrett Bernardo
followed Como with a single up the middle, which plated Como to
extend the AU lead.
Galliford homered in the fifth inning to put the game out of
reach, despite two late runs by Coker in the eighth inning. The
victory clinched Anderson's second conference series win after
grabbing two-of-three from Carson-Newman earlier this season.
AU grabbed three runs in the second inning of the nightcap, as
all three runs were unearned due to a costly Coker error. Following
the three-run inning, Coker answered to even the score at 3-3 with
three runs in the top-half of the third inning.
After the Cobras took the lead at 4-3 in the top-half of the
fifth, Galliford provided the game-clinching home run to would give
Anderson the series sweep.
AU returns to action when it heads to Fluor Field, home of the
Single-A affiliate Greenville Drive, to take on Southern Wesleyan.
First pitch is set for 5 p.m.