ANDERSON, S.C. - Anderson fell to Mars Hill, 7-3, on Friday afternoon at Henderson Field, with the Lions using an early surge and a decisive sixth inning to pull away from the Trojans.
Mars Hill jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, using a pair of hits and a walk to manufacture runs against starter Kaleb Owens (Easley, S.C.). Despite the early deficit, Owens settled in and kept the Lions off the board over the next several frames.
The Trojans threatened in the second inning when Myles Denton (Brentwood, Tenn.) singled and Gray Wells (Chapin, S.C.) followed with a base hit to put runners on the corners with one out. Mars Hill worked out of the jam, however, keeping Anderson off the scoreboard.
Anderson broke through in the third inning. Colin Kenny (Tampa, Fla.) drew a lead-off walk and moved to third on a single by Adams Faucett (Spartanburg, S.C.). Braeden Harrison (Spartanburg, S.C.) lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to plate Kenny and cut the deficit to 2-1. Faucett later advanced to third, but the Trojans were unable to bring him home.
Both teams were held scoreless in the fourth and fifth innings, with Owens continuing to keep the Lions in check while the Anderson offense looked to break through again.
The Black and Gold found their momentum in the sixth inning. Brooks Mauro (Clemson, S.C.) opened the frame with a walk before Denton singled to put two on. Wells delivered an RBI single to score Mauro and tie the game at 2-2. After Ben Bullard (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) singled to load the bases, Dom Bello (Orlando, Fla.) was hit by a pitch, forcing in Denton and giving Anderson a 3-2 lead.
Mars Hill answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning. A string of hits, highlighted by a three-run double, allowed the Lions to regain control of the game. A sacrifice fly later in the inning pushed the lead to 6-3 and chased Owens from the game after 5.2 innings of work. The sophomore allowed six earned runs on seven hits while striking out four.
Luke Parson (Tampa, Fla.) entered in relief and recorded the final out of the sixth before working through the seventh inning, allowing one run while striking out one. Mars Hill added to its lead in the eighth, taking advantage of a walk and a balk to extend the margin to 7-3.
Jace Martin (Prosperity, S.C.) closed out the game on the mound for Anderson, tossing a scoreless eighth inning.
Offensively, the Trojans were paced by Bullard, who collected three hits on the day. Denton and Wells each added two hits as Anderson totaled eight for the game. Despite multiple scoring opportunities, including leaving runners in key situations early, the Trojans were unable to generate late offense. Mars Hill's bullpen shut down Anderson over the final three innings, striking out seven and allowing just one hit.
Anderson put a runner on in the ninth inning but could not mount a comeback as Mars Hill secured the 7-3 victory.
The two teams return to the diamond on Saturday as they conclude their three-game set with a doubleheader starting at 12:00 p.m.
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