AUGUSTA, Ga. - Early offense and stellar pitching lifted the Anderson baseball team to a 6-2 victory over Augusta in the final game of a three-game nonconference series, Sunday afternoon at Lake Olmstead Stadium.

Anderson improved to 2-3 and halted Augusta's six-game win streak, as the Jaguars fell to 6-2.

Trojan catcher LJ Newman was 3-for-4 on the afternoon and scored twice, while third baseman Zach McIlroy also went 3-for-4, with two doubles and an RBI. Right fielder Garrett Bernardo also added a pair of doubles, an RBI and scored twice.

Junior right-hander Chris Ayers collected his first win of the season after surrendering just one hit and walking two, while fanning seven in five innings of work. Junior Evan Small, sophomore Andrew Dill and senior Brock Goodling combined to limit the Jags to a pair of hits and just two runs in four innings of relief. Goodling earned his first save of the season.

The Trojans scored three runs in both the second and third innings to build a six-run advantage after just two innings. Newman led off the top of the second with a single to right and both he and Bernardo moved into scoring position when Bernardo laced a double down the left field line. Senior Travis Smith brought home Newman by with an infield grounder to the right side and after Stephen McKnight drew a one-out walk, Bernardo crossed the plate with the second run on a wild pitch. One out later, McIlroy doubled into the gap in right-center, plating McKnight from second.

The Trojan bats stayed hot in the third frame, with junior Xavier Peralta leading off the inning with a single to left-center and moving to second base on Newman's single back up the middle. Bernardo followed with his second double in as many at-bats to bring home Peralta, with Newman going to third. Newman scored when McKnight reached base on an infield error and Bernardo posted the Trojans' third run of the inning and final run of the game when Rochester singled.

Augusta, which recorded 21 runs in the previous two games, got on the scoreboard with solo runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings to trim AU's lead to four, and threatened with two on and no one out in the bottom of the eighth, but Goodling entered in relief and worked out of the jam with no damage on the scoreboard.

The Trojans return to the diamond on Tuesday with a single game at Emmanuel. First-pitch versus the Lions in Franklin Springs, Ga. is set for 3 p.m.