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GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - After suffering a heartbreaking 8-7 setback
in extra innings in the opening game of the day, Anderson
University baseball fell 9-2 in the nightcap to Tusculum, as the
Pioneers swept the Trojans in the three-game set on Saturday in
South Atlantic Conference action at Pioneer Park.
With the back-to-back setbacks, AU falls to 15-17 on the season
with a 9-12 record in the SAC, while TC claims its fourth
conference sweep this season and improves to 19-10 overall with a
13-5 mark in league play.
In the first game, the Black and Gold out-hit the home side,
18-10, but left 13 runners on base in their first loss in extra
innings this season. Junior first baseman Steven Cooper paced the
club with a 5-for-6 performance with two runs scored and two RBI.
The five hits are the most by a Trojan for a game this season, as
the left-hander smashed a lead-off home run in the fourth inning
for his fifth homer of the season to headline his day at the
plate.
Following the first baseman was the bottom of the Trojan lineup
of outfielders Stephen McKnight and Nick Bernardo and second
baseman Xavier Peralta with three hits apiece. Bernardo matched
Cooper's RBI total with two, as he knocked a two-run double in the
sixth that propelled AU to a four-run inning.
McKnight scored twice, while Peralta drove in a run and tied the
game at 7-7 in the bottom of the eighth with a run-scoring single
through the left side. For Peralta, the three-hit contest was the
most hits in a game for his collegiate career.
After the teams played two scoreless frames in extra innings,
the Trojans were blanked in the top of the 12th despite getting
back-to-back singles from McKnight and Nick Bernardo to lead-off
the inning. With AU coming up empty in the top-half of the inning,
Tusculum took advantage when outfielder Jeremiah Tullidge singled
through the right side and scored Jeovanny Tolentino for the
walk-off run and the series win.
In the final game of the day, the Pioneers found the scoreboard
early and often with five runs through the first three innings. The
home side used the early runs to propel themselves to a 9-2 victory
to seal the conference sweep.
Anderson's lone bright spot in its offense for the final game
came from the final spot in the lineup, as Peralta recorded another
multi-hit game with two singles. Senior shortstop Brett Cash posted
the Trojans' only extra-base hit for the night cap with a
second-inning double. Designated hitter Shawn Delmontagne and Nick
Bernardo each notched a single RBI for the game, after driving in
both AU runs in the fourth inning on a pair of fielder's
choices.
The Black and Gold jumps back into nonconference action on
Wednesday when it welcomes Erskine to Anderson Memorial Stadium for
a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. The opening matchup of the twin
bill will represent the final half-point for baseball towards the
Beville Cup standings.
Game 1
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Game 2
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