Drive's Anderson dazzles with six scoreless

Shaun Anderson was a keen observer during Greenville's series opener against Rome on Thursday.
The No. 17 Red Sox prospect kept tabs on each hitter and that attention to detail helped him Friday night.
The right-hander tied a career-high with six scoreless innings, allowing two hits with a walk and four strikeouts, but Class A Greenville dropped the longest game in franchise history, 7-4 in 18 innings. 

Box score
"They don't mind four-pitch innings, three-pitch innings, he said. "I knew they were going to attack early so I either needed to start them off with a changeup or a fastball in on the hands. I was trying to keep them uncomfortable the whole game because I knew how aggressive they were -- and they all can run. They like to beat the ball into the ground and run.
"I had to get them uncomfortable and make them second-guess themselves on the pitches. I think keeping them off-balance really helped me out."
Anderson set the tone by retiring the first six hitters on 23 pitches. He stayed in command throughout, throwing 48 of 77 pitches for strikes.
After two quick outs in the third, Randy Ventura notched the first hit for Rome with a bunt single. He stole second and was stranded when Braves No. 30 prospect Anfernee Seymour grounded out to second.
"I kind of just told our third baseman, 'Hey, he might bunt here, get rid of the ball quick,'" the right-hander said. "Now I'm thinking, 'He's playing in now, that might make [Seymour] swing.' That helped me with a ground-ball kind of thing. Being that they're all fast and they can all run, just had to attack the zone and let them get themselves out."
The 2016 third-round pick cruised through a perfect fourth, but found himself in trouble in the fifth and sixth.
Tanner Murphy started the fifth with a single, and aftera strikeout by Kurt Hoekstra, Anderson hit Marcus Mooney with a pitch. But the 22-year-old stranded the runners when Kevin Josephina grounded out to first and Ventura struck out.
The sixth featured another jam when Seymour walked to start the frame and No. 14 Braves prospectCristian Pache did the same one out later. But after a meeting at the mound with manager Darren Fenster, Anderson fanned Brett Cumberland and got Murphy to bounce out on a fielder's choice.

"I started rushing a little bit," the 6-foot-4 hurler said. "My catcher came up to me and my shortstop came up to me and said, 'Keep over your front side, just calm down a little bit.' My manager came out and said the same stuff and told me I was one pitch away. I just kind of needed to pitch my game and let my defense do the work. It just kind of just brought me back.
"I just realized I was flying open a little bit. I just gripped the ball a little too hard. I said, 'All right, they've only got two hits, let them just beat it into the ground.' So I started pouring it into the zone. I just threw strikes and my defense helped me out. I was pumped. I had a nice little fist pump. I hate losing and I wanted to keep the score at zero for as long as I could." 
Anderson pitched in relief during college, transitioning back to a starter during a brief stint last year with Class A Short Season Lowell. In 2 2/3 innings with the Spinners, the University of Florida product allowed nine earned runs on 12 hits. With some tweaks this season, Anderson now sports a 0.83 ERA and 0.92 WHIP through four starts.
"I started in high school and summers during college, but it wasn't until my junior year that I found the right routine for a reliever. I just kind of stuck to it and I was happy with it and it was successful. But then coming here I wanted to start -- that's my passion. Just moving from reliever to starter was just a routine mix-up. I didn't really have the right routine at first and I got hit around a little bit. I worked with a lot of the coaches and pitch selection because in college they called every pitch for me.
"I have to give props to the coaches that stuck with me because I really didn't have a good year in Lowell."

Tucker Tubbs, who started as the Drive's designated hitter, struck out four and allowed two hits in three scoreless innings.
First baseman Mitchell Gunsolus entered as a reliever in the 18th and took the loss after surrendering three runs on four hits in one inning.
Oriel L Caicedo (3-0) and four Rome relievers combined for 13 scoreless innings, allowing five hits and two walks with 15 strikeouts.
Pache came through with the go-ahead triple to finish with two hits and three RBIs. No. 20 Braves prospect Derian Cruz doubled in nine trips to the plate and collected two RBIs.