PEMBROKE, N.C. — Daniel Stephens recorded five hits on the day to lead the UNC Pembroke baseball team to a non-conference doubleheader sweep over visiting Tusculum University Friday afternoon at Sammy Cox Field.
The Braves (2-0) scored the tying run in the seventh and plated two go-ahead runs in the eighth to win the opener, 6-4. JD Scarborough drove in the game-winner in the second game when he was hit by a pitch with a bases-loaded in extra innings as UNCP won 6-5.
Tusculum (0-2) will be in action next weekend when they host Charleston (W.Va.) for a three-game series at Eastman Credit Union Field & Pioneer Park.
Game 1: UNC Pembroke 6, Tusculum 4
Stephens drove in the go-ahead tallies in the eighth inning with his two-run double to lead UNC Pembroke to a 6-4 win in Friday’s first contest.
UNCP’s Kasen McCawley (1-0) picked up the win in relief as he tossed the final five innings where he allowed two runs on three hits, three walks and struck out five.
The Braves finished with eight hits in the contest as Tyler Steele also had a two-hit outing.
Tusculum got on the board first in the in the opening inning as Jake Absher drove in Keygan Miksa with his two-out RBI single.
UNCP answered with a pair in the bottom of the frame. With the first two batters being retired, Landon Lucas singled while Peyton Young and Mason Mozeley drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Morgan Padgett gave the Braves the lead with hit two-run single as UNCP led 2-1.
Tusculum got the equalizer in the top of the fourth as Jake Absher drew a one-out walk and Evan Goins and Nate Davidson loaded the bases with back-to-back singles. After a strikeout, Caden Rector drew a RBI walk to tie the game at 2-2.
Pembroke retook the lead in the bottom of the fourth on Steele’s two-out single to left field as UNCP went up 3-2.
Tusculum tied the game again at 3-3 with a run in the top of the fifth as Miksa drew a lead-off walk and later scored on Absher’s sacrifice fly. TU took the lead in the sixth as Davidson and Mason Johnson led off with back-to-back singles. Davidson would score from third on Rector’s infield single as the Pioneers led 4-3.
Stephens tied the game in the UNCP seventh as Steele led off with a single and scored on Stephen’s infield hit to knot the score at 4-4. In the eighth, Stephen’s came up with some two-hit magic with his two-run double down the right field line as the Braves led 6-4.
Tusculum would get the tying runs aboard in the ninth with one out, but McCawley got a fly out and a pop up to end the game.
Davidson went 2-for-4 in the Tusculum debut, while Rector went 1-for-1 with two RBI and three walks in his first game in a Pioneer uniform.
Scout Martin (0-1) suffered the loss for Tusculum. TU starter Owen Canter went 3.2 innings as he allowed three runs on four hits, two walks and four strikeouts in his 77-pitch performance. Luke Maicon pitched 1.1 shutout innings with one strikeout while Christian Ponte fired 2.0 innings, allowed an unearned run on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
Game 2: UNC Pembroke 6, Tusculum 5 (8 innings)
UNC Pembroke jumped out to a three-run lead, saw it evaporate in the seventh, but bounced back as Scarborough walked off the game when he was hit by a pitch as the Braves won the night-cap, 6-5 in eight innings.
Starting pitchers Walker Pedante (TU) and Landon Lucas (UNCP) each tossed two shutout innings to start the contest.
Tusculum broke through in the third when Johnson led off with a double and later scored on a throwing error as the Pioneers led 1-0.
Steele tied the game in the bottom of the third with his solo home run to left field.
The Pioneers led off the fourth on Evan Cage‘s double and he would score on a one-out, two-bagger off the bat of Steve Scarfone as TU led 2-1.
But another solo homer, this one from Lucas to tie the game at 2-2.
UNCP would scored three times in the fifth as Smith led off with a double and moved to second on a bunt. After Brice Anders took over the mound for Pedante, Smith would score from second on a failed pickoff attempt as UNCP led 3-2moved up a base on a failed pick off attempt. Stephens would come through with a RBI single up the middle to drive in the inning’s second run. Stephens would later score himself on a wild pitch to cap the three-run frame as the Braves led 5-2.
Tusculum would rally in the top of the seventh as Harrison Holbrook took over the mound for Pembroke. After a fly out, Kolby Watson singled and pinch-hitter Alejandro Ponte drew a walk to bring the tying run to the plate. Cage loaded the bases with his walk and Absher would draw a RBI walk as TU trailed 5-3. Rhett Burley took over for Holbrook, but Scarfone would get a bases loaded walk to make it a 5-4 contest. Goins would get behind in the count, but rallied and hit a sacrifice fly to right field, deep enough to drive in Cage with the tying score.
Anders worked around a single and a fielding error to get out of the jam with fly outs to send the game to extra innings.
Burley retired the Pioneers in order in the top of the eighth as the momentum swung back to the home team.
Young would led off with a single and moved to second on a bunt by Padgett. Pinch-hitter Zane Brockman was intentionally walked. After a wild pitch moved the runners up, Jacob Smith was also walked. Anders got the second out of the inning when he got an infield grounder to shortstop Jake Trottier, who threw home for the force out at the plate. But Scarbourgh would end the game when he was hit by a pitch to drive in Brockman with the winning run.
Burley (1-0) picked up the win in relief, while Anders (0-1) picked up the loss. Anderson pitched 3.1 innings, allowed two runs on three hits, three walks and struck out two.
Pedante, in his TU debut, went 4.1 innings, allowed five hits, four runs (two earned), one walk and one strikeout.
