GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — Tusculum University second baseman Zach Wilson went 3-for-4 with a pair doubles and drove in the go-ahead run as the Pioneers upset 15th-ranked Lee University 6-4 Wednesday night at Pioneer Park.
Tusculum (18-13) runs its winning streak to three in a row while snapping the Flames’ (22-9) four-game winning streak.
The Pioneers posted nine hits to go along with 10 walks as TU stranded a dozen runners in the game and hit into three double plays.
Lee jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning as the Flames utilized three walks, two stolen bases and got a RBI single from catcher Brock Sisson in the opening frame.
Tusculum answered with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the first Murphy Flood reached on an error, followed by back-to-back walks to Omar Carreras and Jake Absher to load the bases with two outs. Blaze McCauley legged out an infield single to drive in the first run and Will Samuelson drew a bases loaded walk to tie the game at 2-2.
TU took the lead in the second as Luis Reyes led off with a single and Wilson drove him in with his first double of the game. Wilson would touch the plate himself on Flood’s RBI single as the Pioneers led 4-2.
TU reliever Luke Maicon took over in the second inning and held the Flames in check for four innings, giving up one run in the fifth on Cam Suto’s one-out RBI hit.
Tusculum added some insurance with a run in the fifth and another in the seventh. In the sixth, Reyes got aboard with a two-out single and would eventually score followed three straight walks as TU led 5-3. In the seventh, Wilson reached on a double and later moved to third on a passed ball. Scartz would hit a high pop up which the Lee infielders lost in the lights. Shortstop Ashton Simmons made a fantastic diving catch behind second base for the second out. But on the play, an alert Ruis tagged up and scored TU’s sixth run of the game as the Pioneers led 6-3.
Lee got back-to-back hits to lead off the top of the eighth as Brandon Daniels led off with his 13th double of the year and later scored on Matthew Batts line drive single to right field to make it a 6-4 contest. Cole Forcellina took over and retired the next three batters to end the threat.
Tusculum closer Seth Willis came on in the ninth and got ahead in the count to Josiah Miller but hit the Lee third baseman on a two-strike pitch to put the lead-off batter on. Willis bounced back and got a strikeout of pinch-hitter Isaiah French for the first out. Willis got some defensive help behind him a Drew Standifer belted a liner heading up the middle but Scartz made an ESPN Top-10 quality snag, fully extended for the second out. Willis would end the game with a strikeout and secure his fourth save of the season.
Maicon (1-0) picked up his first win of the year as he scattered four hits and allowed one run in his 45-pitch performance. Jonathan Nelson tallied two quality innings where he worked around two hits, one walk and recorded four strikeouts and one each to end the sixth and seventh innings.
Batts led the Flames at the plate as he went 2-for-4 with two RBI while Tusculum’s Reyes finished with a 2-for-3 effort and scored two runs.
Lee also posted five stolen bases including two by Suto, his 14th and 15th of the season and a pair of Simmons.
Tusculum returns to action on Friday to begin a three-game South Atlantic Conference series with Wingate University. A single-game at 6 p.m. on Friday followed by a 1 p.m. Saturday doubleheader. Wingate is tied for first place honors in the conference with an 11-4 SAC record, while Tusculum is in third with a 12-6 league worksheet.
