Hartsville, S.C. – The Cobra Baseball team snapped their six game Conference Carolinas losing streak on Friday with a 7-4 victory over Anderson University in game one of their doubleheader. In game two, Anderson was able to come from behind for a 4-2 victory over Coker. The Cobras are now 12-21 overall, and 3-14 in the conference, while Anderson is 11-24 overall, and 5-9 in the conference.

Game One
Coker took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, as Scott Amann (New Athens, IL) drove home Karl Ankersen (Mt. Pleasant, SC) with a RBI triple to left. Coker added their second run of the game in the fourth, this time it was Amann who scored on a Ricky Deleandro (Mentor, OH) RBI single.

Anderson got on the board in the fifth with Derek Hipp bringing home Josh Grubbs with an RBI single, cutting the Cobra lead to just one. Coker regained that one run in the sixth with runners on first and third, Trojan pitcher Chris Pitts faked a pick-off to first base without stepping off, baulking in Coker’s third run of the game.

The Trojans evened things at three apiece with three runs in the top seventh. Grubbs drove in two runs with a triple, while Hipp had a RBI single. The Cobras would not be out done, scoring three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning, taking a 6-3 lead.  Coker gave themselves an insurance run in the eighth and held off the Trojan attack for a 7-4 win.

Matt Long (Florence, SC) (1-0) earned the win in relief, tossing a third of an inning, allowing just one hit. Mikael Owens (Columbia, SC) (1) earned the save going two innings, allowing two hits with three strike outs.

Pitts took the loss for Anderson, allowing six runs on nine hits in six and two-thirds innings of work.

Leading the Cobras at the plate was, Trey Lynch (Florence, SC) going 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Julio Gomez (Santa Fe, NM) was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Amann finished 2-for-5 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored and Deleandro was 1-for-3 with two RBIs.

For Anderson, Grubbs was 3-for-4 with a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored, while Clint Neville was 3-for-4 with a double and Hipp was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.

Game Two
Game two started much like game one, as Coker jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning, thanks to a two run single from Ankersen.  After a scoreless second inning, Anderson evened the game at two with a pair of runs in third with an RBI single from Blair Carson and a sacrifice bunt from Neville.

The Trojans took the lead with a run in the fourth, as Walt Quattlebaum set the first pitch of the inning soaring over the left field fence for a solo home run and a 3-2 lead. Anderson tacked on another run in the sixth, as Quattlebaum led off the inning with a triple and then came home on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Kirkland, giving the Trojans a 4-2 lead.

Anderson’s Luis Martinez earned the win, going four innings, allowing two runs on five hits with five strike outs, while Cory Welch earned the save allowing just one hit in three innings of work.
Chris Thomas (Bluffton, SC) (1-6) took the loss, allowing four runs on eight hits in six innings of work.

Ankersen led the Cobras at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, while Amann was 2-for-4 with a run scored and Deleandro and Will Poole (Pelion, SC) were each 1-for-3.

For the Trojans, Quattlebaum was 2-for-3 with a home run, a triple, an RBI and two runs scored, while Carson was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Grubbs, Hipp, Don Ballard, and Patrick West all had one hit in the game.

Coker and Anderson complete their three game Conference Carolinas series on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.