ANDERSON, S.C. – Continuing their dominating performances on the diamond this season, the Anderson University (5-0) baseball team took a pair of wins home against the Senators of Davis & Elkins College (0-2) on Saturday, February 7. The Trojans took home the first game in school record fashion, posting 30 runs in a 30-6 victory before turning around and taking home a 10-3 win in the nightcap.
Game One: Anderson 30, Davis & Elkins 6
The contest started out slow for the Trojans, though the Senators were able to get runners into scoring position in the opening frame, the Black and Gold were unable to get anyone on the base paths, going three-up and three-down in the inning. That quickly turned on its head however as the Trojans were able to post a five-spot in the second inning, thanks to RBI singles from Brooks Mauro (Clemson, S.C.) and Ben Bullard (Mount Pleasant, S.C.), an RBI-triple from Myles Denton (Brentwood, Tenn.) and a two-run moonshot from Braeden Harrison (Spartanburg, S.C.) to take the 5-0 lead.
Denton followed up that inning with an RBI double in the third to put himself on cycle watch while Mauro added two more runs in the frame off a dinger to left field, giving the Trojans the 8-3 advantage after D&E was able to scratch across a trio of runs in the top of the third.
Seven more runs would make their way onto the scoreline for the Trojans in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single from Levi Medford (Canton, N.C.) and an RBI double from Gray Wells (Chapin, S.C.) forcing the pitching change from the Senators. Denton put himself just one swing away from the cycle after adding an RBI single to his name in the fourth while Bullard rounded out the inning with a bases clearing double to left that put the Trojans ahead 15-3.
A pair of walks and a single by Wells set the stage for the perfect storm from the bat of Myles Denton as late in the count he took a strong swing high in the air over the fence in left field to secure his cycle in Grand Slam fashion, scoring the first four of 14 runs for the Trojans in the fifth inning. Anderson added another run in the sixth and the Senators were able to add three runs over the remainder of the contest, with the Trojans taking the 30-6 victory.
Walker Noland (Marietta, Ga.) took home the win in the contest, allowing six hits and three runs, only two earned, while adding four strikeouts.
Game Two: Anderson 10, Davis & Elkins 3
The Senators grabbed their first lead of the day in the first inning of the nightcap as they were able to push a pair of runs across the plate in the frame to take the early 2-0 lead. However, the Trojans responded right away with a pair of runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning, while adding two more in each of the next two innings as well to take the 6-2 lead after three complete.
A scoreless fourth turned into a one run performance from Davis & Elkins in the top of the fifth, but again the Trojans were able to respond with four more runs from their offense to extend their lead to the final score of 10-3.
Tyler Shipman (Simpsonville, S.C.) took home the win for the Black and Gold in the contest, going 4.2 inning allowing just three runs and striking out four as well. Ashton Shackelford (Ellerslie, Ga.) and Jace Martin (Prosperity, S.C.) each were stellar to close out the contest, both facing the minimum in their innings with Shackelford retiring three straight with strikeouts.
The Trojans and Senators wrap up their three-game series with a single game tomorrow, Sunday, February 8 at 1:00 p.m.
