GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — Coker’s Ick Cirino went 4-for-8 to lead the Cobras to a doubleheader sweep over Tusculum Sunday at Pioneer Park in South Atlantic Conference baseball action.
The Cobras sent 12 batters to the plate and scored eight runs in the top of the ninth inning in to win the opener 11-4. In the night-cap, Jaylen Mack went 2-for-3 including his team-leading fourth home run as Coker won 6-1. With the wins, the Cobras clinch the No. 5 seed in this week’s SAC Tournament.
Game 1: Coker 11, Tusculum 4
Coker rallied from a 4-3 deficit and scored eight runs in the top of the ninth in an 11-4 victory.
Adam Wilkerson went 2-for-4 including his two-run double in the ninth.
Coker jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning as the Cobras utilized two singles and two hit batters.
But after the rough start, TU starter Luke Absher settled and blanked the Cobras for the next six innings.
Meanwhile, Tusculum chipped away at the deficit scoring twice in the third inning and once in the fourth. In the TU third, Sawyer Pace reached on a one-out single and moved to third on Max Schmarder‘s base hit to right field. Ty Smith followed with a RBI single up the middle and Schmarder would score from third on Jude Morton‘s sacrifice fly.
In the top of the fourth, the Cobras got a runner in scoring position in Aiden Perry with one out. Wilkerson lifted a fly ball to left field which was caught by Jayden Singleton. Perry tagged but was gunned down at home plate as Singleton’s throw was on target to senior catcher Avery Collins as he completed the double play.
In the bottom of the fourth, senior Seth Sherman led off with a single and moved to second Collins’ bunt. Caleb Webster would tie the game at 3-3 with his RBI single.
Tusculum took its first lead of the day when Schmarder led off with a single and later scored on Morton’s two-out single as the Pioneers went up 4-3.
After the double play, Absher would retired nine in a row as he headed into the top of the eighth. Cirino would get aboard with a single and the Pioneers went to the bullpen. Gabriel Santiago drew a walk from reliever Mason Huffstickler. TU would get the first out on a fielder’s choice as the Cobras had runners on the corners. A walk to Mack loaded the bases as Tusculum went to the bullpen again to Cooper Emery.
Coker’s Alex Lazar chopped a grounder to Schmarder at third base. He made the short-hop scoop and fired it home to Collins for the force out at home. Collins would have time to throw out Lazar at first for the inning-ending double play and maintain the 4-3 lead.
Coker reliever Britton Adams, who came on in the fifth in relief of starter Tyler Satterley, was blanking the Pioneers for three straight innings including TU in order in the eighth.
In the top of the ninth, the first four Cobras would get aboard. Hunter Poole led off with a single, pinch-hitter Kyler Odom was hit by a pitch. Jacob Yarberry reached on a bunt single and on the play, an errant TU throw allowed Poole to score from third. On the play, pinch-runner Luke Peterson moved to third while Yarberry coasted into second base with the score tied at 4-4.
Wilkerson would drive in the go-ahead runs with his fourth double of the season as the Cobras retook the lead. Coker would score five more runs on five singles to take an 11-4 lead.
In the bottom of the ninth, Tusculum mounted a two-out rally as the Pioneers loaded the bases. But Adams would get a ground out to end the game and secure the victory. Adams (6-1) pitched five scoreless innings while allowing five hits, zero walks and recorded three strikeouts.
Emery (2-2) suffered the loss as he went 0.2 innings, allowed four runs on three hits.
Absher, who was pitching in his final Tusculum game, went seven innings, allowed three runs on five hits, no walks and posted a strikeout in the no-decision. He tied a single-game record with four hit-batters.
Both teams recorded a dozen hits apiece. For Coker, Cirino, Rocco Wojcik, Lazar and Wilkerson each had two hits apiece. Tusculum received two-hit performances by Schmarder, Smith, Ryan Ortega, Morton and Sherman.
Game 2: Coker 6, Tusculum 1
Coker scored the first six runs of the game and made them stick as the Cobras prevailed 6-1.
Starting pitcher Graham Whittle pitched five innings, allowed one run on four hits, one walk and two strikeouts. Reliever Cooper Thomas tossed two shutout innings as he allowed a hit, three walks and two strikeouts.
In the top of the first, Mack belted a two-run homer down the left field line for an early 2-0 lead.
Coker utilized two hits and two Tusculum errors and scored four runs in the top of the fourth to move out to a 6-0 advantage.
Tusculum got a run in the fourth inning when Connor Jurek led off with a single and moved to third on senior Garrett Gregory‘s base hit. Jurek would score on a double play as TU trailed 6-1 and that would be as close as they would get.
With the win, Whittle evens his record at 1-1, while TU starter Philip Miller (2-6) suffered the loss in his 4.1 innings of work where he allowed six runs (three earned), seven hits, zero walks and four strikeouts. Jake McKenna pitched 2.2 shutout innings in his 24-pitch effort.
Saturday was Senior Day as Tusculum honored its eight seniors (Anthony Cobb, Avery Collins, Garrett Gregory, Kenny Kinzler, Jack Lyndrup, Caid Sanders, Seth Sherman, Grant Van Rossum) in pre-game ceremonies.
The Pioneers and Cobras will wrap up the series and the regular-season on Monday with a 1 p.m. contest at Pioneer Park.
