ANDERSON, S.C. – Trojan hurlers limited Coker to just eight hits, including just one extra-base hit and just one hit in the nightcap, as Anderson swept a twin bill with the Cobras, 10-3 and 4-2, in South Atlantic Conference baseball action, Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.

Anderson improved to 18-19 overall and 5-13 in league action with its first three-game sweep of a conference opponent since also taking three from the Cobras during the 2018 campaign.

Coker fell to 13-27 and 8-10 with its fifth straight setback and eighth loss in nine decisions.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Game #1
Anderson 10, Coker 3
Junior Carlos Hernandez led the Trojans at the plate by going 3-for-4, with three singles and a double and also reached base on a walk. He drove in three runs and also scored a run. Jaxon Young added a pair of singles, two RBI and a run scored, while JC LeGrand posted two singles, crossed the plate twice and drove in a run. Nick Vella notched a two-run single, a walk and scored a run.

Justin Fox collected a single and reached on a seventh-inning walk and was hit by a pitch. Kye Andress reached base twice on walks after posting a first-inning single. Kevin Sosa reached on three walks and crossed the plate twice.

Joseph Cottone drew the start and improved to 4-2 on the season after allowing two runs on just three hits (two singles and a double) over 6.2 innings of work on the mound, marking his second-longest stint of the season. He struck out a career-high 13 batters and issued three walks.

Nathan Ledford surrendered a run on three hits in 1.1 innings of relief, while Ryan Brash allowed just a single, while tossing the ninth inning.

Game #2
Anderson 4, Coker 2
Andress was 2-for-3 in the nightcap, with a two-run double and a run-scoring single in the fifth inning. Fox added two singles and was hit by a pitch, with Hernandez notching a single, a walk and a run scored in three trips to the plate.

Vella was hit by a pitch and posted a single, while Anthony Pandolfi recorded a pair of walks.

Andrew Imperatore, Jackson Herring and Landon Henley combined to limit the Cobras to just one hit - a seventh-inning single – in the nightcap.

Imperatore improved to 2-4 on the year by allowing one unearned run on no hits, while fanning seven batters and issuing five free passes over five full innings. Herring gave up a run on one hit in 1.2 innings of work, while fanning three batters and issuing one free pass. Henley struck out the final batter of the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1
The Trojans sent eight batters to the plate in the bottom of the first inning and capitalized on four singles and a walk with one out to plate a pair of runs on Hernandez' first single of the afternoon.

The Cobras sliced AU's lead in half with a third-inning run, while the Trojans built a 5-1 advantage behind three runs in the fourth frame. Van Ness and Hrnandez each posted run-scoring doubles, with LeGrand adding a run-scoring single.

After Coker scored a solo run in the top of the fifth, the Trojans put the game out of reach by scoring five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, while sending 10 batters to the plate. The Cobras rounded out the scoring by posting three straight one-out singles in the top of the eighth.

Game 2
Andress gave AU an early 2-0 lead with a clutch two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the opening inning and the Trojans increased their lead to 3-0 with another run in the second inning.

The three-run cushion was enough for Imperatore, who held the Cobras to just three base runners through four innings. Coker avoided the shutout with an unearned run in the top of the fifth, with AU answering with a run in the bottom of the inning.

The Cobras scored another unearned run in the seventh inning and managed to get a runner into scoring position, with the tying run at the plate with two outs, before Henley came in to snuff out the rally with a strikeout.

ANDERSON STAT OF THE DAY
Trojan hurlers held Coker to a .143 batting average on the day, while the Black and Gold posted a .298 batting average and a .467 on-base percentage on the afternoon.

NOTABLES
• Carlos Hernandez posted a .833 slugging percentage and a .750 on-base percentage on the day.
• Joseph Cottone fanned a career-high 13 batters in the opener.
• The Trojans and Cobras have met on 75 occasions, with Anderson leading the all-time series, 43-32. The first-ever meeting between the two programs occurred during the 1998 campaign.
• Coming into the weekend, the Cobras had won three straight over AU after the Trojans claimed four-of-five meetings in 2019, 2020 and 2021. AU has now won eight of the last 13 matchups.
• The Trojans claimed their first three-game sweep of a conference opponent since also taking three from the Cobras during the 2018 season.
• Reliever Landon Henley garnered his second save in two days.
• Nick Vella extended his hitting streak to five games.
• Carlos Hernandez and Justin Fox are each riding four-game hitting streaks.
• JC LeGrand has reached base safely in 18 consecutive games.

UP NEXT
AU will open a four-game road swing with a nonconference contest at Augusta, on Wednesday. Wednesday's game against the Jaguars will mark the first meeting with Augusta after having the first two contests postponed.