AUGUSTA, Ga. – A four-run ninth inning, punctuated by a no-doubt home run off the bat of Ben Bullard (Mount Pleasant, S.C.), powered Anderson University to an 11–5 victory over Augusta University on Tuesday night at Jaguar Field. Bullard's late-inning heroics capped a strong offensive showing as the Trojans tallied 12 hits and secured their 24th win of the season.
Anderson (24–22) wasted little time getting started. Carson Molinaroli (Summerville, S.C.) was hit by a pitch and swiped second before scoring the game's first run on a double from Zach Stover (Powdersville, S.C.). Gray Wells (Chapin, S.C.) walked and later crossed home on a fielder's choice by Dom Bello (Orlando, Fla.) to give Anderson an early 2–0 lead.
Molinaroli sparked the offense again in the third with a single and another stolen base. Wells brought him in with a ground out to shortstop to make it 3–0.
The Jaguars answered with a solo homer in the third and an unearned run in the fourth, but Anderson responded in the fifth. Braeden Harrison (Spartanburg, S.C.) ripped a double to the left field corner and later scored on an Augusta error following a Stover grounder.
The Trojans stretched the lead in the sixth as Bello walked and Bullard doubled to left. Brayden Owens (Easley, S.C.) delivered a clutch single to center to plate both runners, giving Anderson a 6–2 cushion.
After Augusta trimmed the lead to 6–3 in the sixth, Bello struck again in the seventh, lining a two-out single to center that scored Wells, who had singled and advanced on a wild pitch. The Jaguars closed the gap to 7–5 with a pair in the eighth, but the ninth belonged to Anderson.
Wells, Brooks Mauro (Clemson, S.C.), and Bello each singled to load the bases before Bullard launched a towering home run over the left field wall, his first of the season, clearing the bases and sealing the win.
Cole Davis (Simpsonville, S.C.) earned the win, improving to 3–0 after throwing 5.1 innings and allowing just two earned runs with seven strikeouts. Kaleb Owens (Easley, S.C.), Jacob Ingram (Tallassee, Ala.), and Corben Childers (Spartanburg, S.C.) combined to shut the door over the final 3.2 innings.
Bello finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Bullard collected four RBIs, while Wells and Stover each had multi-hit performances.
Anderson returns to South Atlantic Conference play later this week as they welcome in Lenoir-Rhyne to Anderson Memorial for the final league series of the year.
