Box Score
Box score
FOREST CITY, N.C. - Unable to hang on to its eighth-inning lead,
sixth-seeded Anderson University baseball fell victim to a
late-inning rally produced by fifth-seeded Tusculum, as the
Pioneers eliminated the Trojans from the Food Lion South Atlantic
Conference Tournament with an 8-6 extra-inning win in a consolation
bracket matchup Friday afternoon at McNair Field.
With the setback, AU closes the 2014 season with a 19-32 overall
record after earning the program's first bid into the SAC
Tournament. The Pioneers, which improve to 27-20 for the year, move
on in the consolation bracket as they await the loser of the
second-seeded Wingate and third-seeded Lincoln Memorial contest
scheduled for late Friday evening.
Despite Anderson out-hitting Tusculum 13-11 for the game, the
Pioneers took advantage of six costly defensive miscues by the
Trojan defense, scoring just four earned runs for the game. The six
errors in a season-high and the most since an 8-7 win over Newberry
on March 30, 2013.
The Anderson offense was paced by designated hitter LJ Newman
and shortstop Brett Cash, as the tandem combined for six of AU's 13
hits. For Newman, the sophomore matched a season-high two doubles
for the game, highlighted by an RBI two-bagger in the fourth inning
to put the Trojans ahead, 2-1. Later, Newman crossed the plate in
the sixth inning en route to a three-run frame.
Cash, who went 3-for-4 against Catawba on Thursday, matched his
three-hit total with a 3-for-5 performance on the afternoon. Cash
headlined his day with an RBI double in the fifth inning, which
plated sophomore Steven Cooper from second base. For the
tournament, Cash finished 6-for-9 (.667) with two doubles, a pair
of RBI and a run scored.
Cooper also pounded out a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-4 with
a run scored. Despite leading the conference in hits after the
regular season wrapped up, Cooper's multi-hit game was just his
second in his last seven contests after leading the team with 20
multi-hit contests prior to the span. The All-SAC First Team
selection closes the 2014 campaign with a .347 average and a
team-high 70 hits for the year.
Sophomore second baseman Kyle Bailey added two hits while
scoring a run, and senior center fielder Josh Hickman joined Cash
and Newman with a two-RBI double in the sixth inning for his only
hit of the contest.
Senior left fielder Nathan Galliford tallied a 10th-inning
single for his lone hit of the game, but added to his
league-leading RBI total of 50 with two RBI for the game. Galliford
became the first player in the league with 50 RBI this season,
while closing the year tied for the program record in home runs
with 15.
On the hill, senior right-hander Thomas Goodman tossed seven
complete innings and struck out four Tusculum hitters, while giving
up two earned runs. Goodman walked four batters, but left the game
with the lead at 6-5. Despite the slim advantage, the Tusculum
offense got to AU's relievers, claiming five hits for three runs in
the final three innings to clinch the tournament victory.
Tusculum's Heath Comerford and Trey Drewery, who are slotted No.
3 and No. 4 in the Pioneer lineup, combined for four hits,
headlined by Comberford's two-RBI double in the 10th, bringing home
the eventual winning runs. The double was TC's only extra-base hit
of the contest.
Defensively, Tusculum's bullpen solidified the victory as Billy
Sivyer tossed four shutout innings with four strikeouts, while TJ
Miller entered in the game's only extra frame and struck out two
Trojans en route to his second save of the year. Starter Christian
Raasch went five complete innings and allowed eight hits with five
earned runs.
Tusculum, which claimed its third win over Anderson this season,
looks to advance through the consolation round as it snapped a
five-game losing streak with the win.