ANDERSON, S.C. – Anderson University baseball swept a home doubleheader from UVA Wise on Saturday afternoon at home, winning the opener 6-5 in ten innings before closing the day with a dominant 15-0 victory in seven innings. The sweep pushed the Trojans to 22-23 on the season and 10-20 in South Atlantic Conference play.
GAME ONE: Anderson 6, UVA Wise 5 (10 innings)
The Trojans needed extra innings to claim the opener, but it was Myles Denton (Brentwood, Tenn.) who set the stage for a dramatic finish. With two out in the bottom of the ninth and Anderson trailing 5-3, Brooks Mauro (Clemson, S.C.) reached on a hit-by-pitch to start the rally. Denton then tripled to right center to score Mauro and cut the deficit to one. Gray Wells (Chapin, S.C.) followed with a single to left center to score Denton and tie the game at five, sending it to the tenth.
In the bottom of the tenth, Adams Faucett (Spartanburg, S.C.) drew a walk to start the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Bryce Helms (Kershaw, S.C.). After an intentional walk to Braeden Harrison (Spartanburg, S.C.) and a walk to Levi Medford (Canton, N.C.) loaded the bases, Denton came through again, lacing a walk-off single to center to score Faucett and send the Trojans to a 6-5 victory.
Anderson jumped out to an early 4-0 lead through two innings before UVA Wise rallied to tie the game at 5-5 by the ninth. The Trojans had put up a four-spot in the second inning highlighted by a bases-clearing double by Faucett to right field, who finished the game 2-for-4 with an RBI. Dom Bello (Orlando, Fla.) went 3-for-5 at the plate, while Wells reached base three times and scored twice. Denton went 2-for-6 with three RBI and the walk-off knock.
On the mound, starter Cole Davis (Simpsonville, S.C.) worked seven strong innings, allowing five runs on ten hits while striking out four without issuing a walk. Walker Noland (Marietta, Ga.) provided a clean eighth frame, and Jace Martin (Prosperity, S.C.) was brilliant in relief over the final two innings, yielding no hits and striking out none while retiring all five batters he faced. Martin earned the win to improve to 1-0 on the season.
GAME TWO: Anderson 15, UVA Wise 0 (7 innings)
The Black and Gold wasted little time in the nightcap, as Harrison led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run to left field to set the tone for a dominant performance. Anderson would send the game to the run-rule mercy rule by the seventh inning, putting up 15 runs on 10 hits.
The Trojans erupted for seven runs in the second inning to blow the game open. Helms belted a three-run home run to left field to score Harrison and Ryan Iannuzzo (Hicksville, N.Y.), who had been on base after a walk and a pair of wild pitches. UVA Wise continued to struggle with control, as the Cavaliers issued four more walks in the frame and hit multiple batters, allowing Anderson to score seven times on just one hit in the inning.
Anderson added two more in the third inning when Medford delivered a two-run single to center to score Harrison and Mauro. The Trojans then put the game away in the fourth, when Medford capped a dominant afternoon by launching a three-run home run to left field to score Iannuzzo and Mauro, pushing the lead to 14-0. Iannuzzo added a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning to extend the advantage to 15.
Medford was the offensive star of Game Two, going 3-for-3 with a double, a home run, and a game-high five RBI. Harrison went 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored, and an RBI. Helms finished 1-for-4 with his three-run blast, while Wells went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI before exiting. Iannuzzo chipped in a hit, two runs scored, and two RBI.
Brendan Clarke (Barrie, Ontario, Canada) was dominant on the mound, tossing 5.1 innings and allowing just three hits while striking out three without yielding a run. Clarke improved to 4-3 on the season. Caleb Costa (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) worked the final two-thirds of the sixth, and Ashton Shackelford (Ellerslie, Ga.) closed out the game with a perfect seventh, striking out three of the four batters he faced.
The Trojans return to action on Tuesday as they make their final trip of the season to Central, S.C. for a match-up with Southern Wesleyan before finishing out their conference slate with a trip to Wingate next weekend.
