Kodak, Tenn. – The Lenoir-Rhyne Baseball Team (27-22) saw its season come to an end with a 16-2 setback to Anderson (23-27) Thursday in the opening round of the 2018 South Atlantic Conference Championship at Smokies Stadium. The Bears were the fifth seed in the tournament while the Trojans were seeded eighth.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Anderson 16, Lenoir-Rhyne 2
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (27-22), Anderson (23-27)
Location: Smokies Stadium | Kodak, Tenn.
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STATS OF THE GAME:
• Anderson took control from the start – scoring five runs in the top of the first inning – then added a six-run seventh frame and totaled 15 hits on the evening.
• Anderson's Jackson Strange (Greenville, S.C.) hit a three-run home run in the opening frame while Brandon Odachowksi (Williamston, S.C.) added a two-run round-tripper as the Trojans split the four games played with the Bears this year. On the mound, Anderson's Will Gee (Blackville, S.C.) improved to 5-6 on the year after earning the victory. Gee allowed just one run in seven innings of work.
• For Lenoir-Rhyne, sophomore
John Grigg (Lawndale, N.C.) fell to 8-3 while senior third baseman
Tripp Hamrick (Ellenboro, N.C.) and junior pinch hitter
Hunter Jackson (Cherryville, S.C.) drove in runs in the losing effort.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
• For the third time in four years, the Bears finished with a winning season and crossed the 400-strikeout mark on the mound. LR struck out 405 batters this year.
UP NEXT:
Anderson will next face top-seeded Catawba (27-21) as the Trojans move on to the double elimination round of the tournament on Friday beginning at 1:30 p.m.
