AUGUSTA, Ga. – With the Trojans trailing by two runs heading into their last at-bat and down to their final out and still trailing by a run with the bases loaded, left fielder Kevin Sosa delivered a clutch two-out, two-run single and later scored the eventual game-winning run, as the Anderson baseball team erupted for eight runs in the top the ninth inning to post a come-from-behind, 13-8, win over Augusta, Wednesday afternoon at Jaguar Field.

With the two teams squaring off for the second time in two weeks, Anderson improved to 23-23 on the season, while handing Augusta its sixth straight loss and 10th setback in 13 decisions. The Jaguars fell to 14-31 on the season.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Sosa, who pinch-hit in the top of the ninth inning, notched the two-run single in his only plate appearance of the afternoon. Junior Carlos Hernandez was 3-for-4 at the plate, with two singles and a home run, while also reaching base on a ninth-inning walk. Shortstop Kye Andress added a pair of singles and laid down a key sacrifice bunt in the ninth inning.

Nick Vella notched an RBI-triple in the third inning, while reaching on a walk and hammering his sixth home run of the season – both in the ninth inning. He scored a pair of runs and drove in four runs. Justin Fox was 2-for-6 at the plate, with two singles. He crossed the plate twice and posted two RBI. Jaxon Van Ness reached base on a pair of walks and drove in two runs.

Freshman hurler Walker Noland improved to 6-3 on the season after tossing 3.2 innings in relief. The right-hander allowed two runs on four hits, while striking out two batters and walking one.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Augusta built a 4-0 lead after two innings, with the Trojans getting on the scoreboard with a solo run in the top of the third inning. Fox reached on a Jaguar miscue, then crossed the plate on Vella's sixth triple of the season.

AU cut the deficit in half by plating another run in the top of the fourth after Hernandez led off the frame with a single and scored when Van Ness drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk.

But the Jaguars countered with two runs to build their lead to 6-2 after four frames, with Hernandez crossing the plate for the second time in the fifth inning to get the Trojans within three. Luke Poole led off the AU sixth inning with a walk and scored the Trojans' fourth run when the Jaguars threw the ball away on Van Ness' sacrifice bunt, with Poole scoring all the way from first.

Hernandez then led off the seventh inning by clubbing his sixth homer of the year to set the score at 6-5, with Augusta getting the run back in the bottom of the inning.

After a scoreless eighth inning – the only scoreless inning of the day - Augusta held the two-run lead heading into the ninth. Hernandez posted his second RBI of the afternoon by drawing a walk with no outs to get AU within 7-6 and three batters later and two outs later, Sosa came to the plate with the bases loaded. The Deltona, Fla., native came through with a clutch single that scored both Hernandez and JC LeGrand, giving AU an 8-7 lead.

But the Trojan offense wasn't finished, as Fox delivered a two-run single and Vella closed out the scoring with a three-run homer, boosting the Trojan lead to 13-7, as AU sent 11 batters to the plate in the top of the ninth.

The Jaguars countered with a solo run in the bottom of the ninth to set the final score.

ANDERSON STAT OF THE GAME
The last meeting in mid-April saw nine Trojans notch at least two hits apiece, as the Black and Gold erupted for a season-high 23 hits in a 23-10 win over Augusta.

NOTABLES
• Nick Vella is looking to become the first Trojan to own a .400+ batting average since Kyle Lewis during the 2007 campaign.
• Vella has equaled Nick Bernardo for the most triples in a season since the 2015 campaign, with 6.
• The Trojans and Jaguars have met on 43 occasions, with AU holding a 22-21 edge in the all-time series. The first-ever meeting between the two programs occurred during the 1998 campaign.
• JC LeGrand and Nick Vela are each riding five-game hitting streaks.
• Anderson has won three straight over Augusta.