ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson baseball team opened a three-game South Atlantic Conference weekend series against Coker by erupting for 10 runs over the first three innings, then held off the stubborn Cobras, 10-9, Friday night at Memorial Stadium.

Anderson (16-19, 3-13 SAC) snapped a 10-game skid with the win, while claiming its 11th home win of the season. Coker (13-25, 8-8 SAC) suffered its third straight loss and fell to the Trojans for the first time in four meetings.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Kye Andress was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate and reached base in all five trips to the plate by adding a pair of walks. He also scored a run in the third inning. Justin Fox was 3-for-4 and also drew a third-inning walk, while crossing the plate twice. Designated hitter Nick Vella was 3-for-5 at the plate, with two singles and a triple. The Queens, N.Y., native crossed the plate three times and drove in four runs.

Brayden Owens drove in a pair of runs with a clutch two-out single in the third inning, including the eventual game-winner, with JC LeGrand adding two singles and scoring the eventual game-winning run.

Freshman Walker Noland (4-3) drew the start on the mound and was the beneficiary of the early offensive explosion. After limiting the Cobras to just one base runner over the first four innings, the right-hander allowed six runs on eight hits over 6.1 innings of work – his second-longest stint of the season. He matched his season-high with eight strikeouts and walked just three batters.

Landon Henley earned his first career save by tossing the ninth inning. He did not allow a hit and fanned two of the four batters he faced.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Trojans jumped on top early with an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning and added three more in the second frame when Vella pulled his team-leading fifth triple of the season into the right-field corner to plate both Van Ness and Fox, who had recorded back-to-back one-out singles. Vella then crossed the plate when LeGrand bounced out.

After Noland retired the Cobras in order for the second straight inning in the top of the third, AU sent 12 batters to the plate and posted six runs. Vella and Owens each drove in a pair of runs, while Jaxon Young and Sosa each also recorded an RBI during the breakout inning.

But Coker countered with a pair of three-run innings – in the fifth and again in the seventh frame – to climb back within 10-6.

The Cobras inched closer with an unearned run in the eighth and scored two more unearned runs in the ninth, while getting the tying run to third base with just one out, before Henley recorded a strikeout and induced a game-ending fly ball to left field.

STAT OF THE NIGHT
The Trojans piled up 10 runs over the first three innings, while Coker scored six runs over the final three innings.

NOTABLES
• The Trojans and Cobras have met on 73 occasions, with Anderson leading the all-time series, 41-32. The first-ever meeting between the two programs occurred during the 1998 campaign.
• The two teams have nearly split the last 11 contests evenly, with AU claiming six of the 11 matchups. The Cobras had won three straight over AU after the Trojans claimed four-of-five in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
• Nick Vella is on a three-game hitting streak heading into Saturday's doubleheader.
• JC LeGrand has reached base safely in 16 consecutive games.
• Jackson Van Ness has reached base safely in seven straight games.
• The two teams combined to strand 19 base runners.
• Justin Fox recorded three stolen bases on the night and is 13-of-14 on the season.
• Kevin Sosa has reached base safely in five consecutive games.

UP NEXT
The Trojans and Cobras are slated to wrap up the series with a Saturday afternoon twin bill. First-pitch at Memorial Stadium is set for 1 p.m.