ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson University (13-4, 4-4 SAC) baseball team swept Saturday's South Atlantic Conference doubleheader, defeating Carson-Newman (8-8, 1-8 SAC) 6-1 in the opener before completing the sweep with a 7-3 victory in the nightcap at Memorial Stadium.
Game One: Anderson 6, Carson-Newman 1
Anderson struck quickly in the first inning to take control of the opener. Adams Faucett (Spartanburg, S.C.) reached to begin the frame and advanced into scoring position before Braeden Harrison (Spartanburg, S.C.) drew a walk. Dom Bello (Orlando, Fla.) delivered an RBI single to right-center to bring home the first run, and a Carson-Newman error allowed a second run to score. Zach Stover (Powdersville, S.C.) added a sacrifice fly later in the inning to give the Trojans a 3-0 lead.
Carson-Newman answered with a run in the top of the fifth, but Anderson extended the margin in the bottom half of the inning when Harrison connected on a solo home run to left field to make it 4-1.
The Trojans added two insurance runs in the seventh. Riley Matthews (Waxhaw, N.C.) tripled to lead off the inning and later scored, while Levi Medford (Canton, N.C.) drove in two runs, including Matthews, with a double to left-center to stretch the lead to five.
Bello finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Mauro recorded two hits and a run scored.
On the mound, Kaleb Owens (Easley, S.C.) worked eight innings, allowing one run on five hits while striking out five. Luke Godwin (Greenwood, S.C.) recorded the final two outs to close out the win.
Game Two: Anderson 7, Carson-Newman 3
In the second game, Anderson again used early offense and steady pitching to secure the sweep.
The Trojans plated runs in the opening innings to build momentum. Bello was able to drive in the first run of the nightcap for the Trojans on a single to center field while a discombobulated infield for the Eagles allowed the second run of the inning to scamper home, putting the Trojans up 2-1.
After the Eagles plated a pair in the fourth inning, the Trojans were able to explode for five runs in the bottom of the fifth to rock the lead back into their corner. Bello and Medford worked a little smallball for the Black and Gold to plate a pair of runs and take back the 4-3 lead, but it was the three-run shot from Mauro down the left field line that put the contest out of reach, giving the Trojans the 7-3 win.
On the mound, Cole Davis (Simpsonville, S.C.) worked nearly the whole game, limiting Carson-Newman's opportunities and keeping the Eagles off the scoreboard through the early frames. Davis was able to fan four batters on his way through the contest, allowing just three runs, only one of which was earned on six hits. Ashton Shackelford (Ellerslie, Ga.) came in with the bases juiced for the Eagles in the seventh and threw just four pitches to retire the final batter and secure the save.
The Trojans will look to go for the series sweep tomorrow, Sunday March 1 as they wrap up the three-game schedule with the Eagles at 1:00 p.m.
