JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The Tusculum Pioneers jumped out to a six-run lead and this time made it stick as TU defeated Carson-Newman, 6-3 Sunday afternoon at the Silver Diamond Complex.
Tusculum shortstop went 3-for-4 while Murphy Flood and Blaze McCauley each drove in a pair of runs as the Pioneers (9-9, 5-4 SAC) salvaged a win in the weekend series finale with the Eagles (9-7, 4-2 SAC).
Tusculum starter Brice Anders (3-1) pitched six solid innings as he scattered four hits, allowed an unearned run, walked two and posted a career-high eight strikeouts in his 105-pitch performance. TU reliever Jonathan Nelson got out of a two-on, no-out jam in the bottom of the eighth retiring all three batters he faced with only one run scoring to trim the deficit to 6-3.
In the bottom of the ninth, reliever Seth Willis allowed a lead-off single, but got Dalton McLain to line out into a double-play and then got a ground out to end the game.
Tusculum plated two runs in the first inning as C-N starter Ethan Patch (0-1) walked the bases loaded. Andrew Bench took over for the Eagles and TU scored its two runs on Murphy Flood‘s fielder’s choice where an error was made allowing two runs to cross the plate.
The Pioneers added four runs in the fifth as Tusculum batted around. TU posted four hits in the frame including a RBI double from Scartz and a two-run double from McCauley.
The Eagles scored single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings before being blanked in the ninth.
Tusculum returns home this weekend when they host Mars Hill for a three-game SAC series beginning with Friday’s opener at 6 p.m.
