Box Score  

Greeneville, Tenn.----The Tusculum College Pioneers scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth and two more in the seventh Friday night, rallying for a 5-2 victory over the visiting Bulldogs of Wingate University in South Atlantic Conference baseball action. The Pioneers improve to 26-15 overall and 15-10 in the SAC. Wingate falls to 28-17 overall and 19-6 in the conference. The Bulldogs are now tied for first place in the league standings with Catawba with two games remaining on Saturday.

Trey Drewery was two-for-three with a triple, two RBI and a run scored to lead the Tusculum offense. Heath Comerford was two-for-four with a run scored, while Cade Stallings went one-for-four with an RBI.

Freshman outfielder Bill Krebs (West Chester, Pa.) was one-for-four with a homer to lead the Wingate offense. Sophomore catcher Josh Clark (Clemmons, N.C.) added a double and an RBI, while redshirt senior infielder Brian Yeung (Raleigh, N.C.) was one-for-four with a run scored. Sophomore shortstop Michael Godinez (Cutler Bay, Fla.) added a pair of hits for the Bulldogs.

After three scoreless innings, the Bulldogs got on the board in the fourth. Yeung got it started with a one-out single, then scored on Clark’s RBI double to give the ‘Dogs a 1-0 lead.

Wingate took a two-run lead in the sixth when Krebs left off the frame with his second homer of the year, a solo shot down the left field line to make it 2-0.

The Pioneers plated three runs in the bottom of the frame to take the lead. A one-out single, followed by a hit batsman put two on for Tusculum. Drewery drove both runners home with a two-run triple to right center. He would score on a sacrifice fly from Joe Polichetti to give Tusculum a 3-2 lead.

The Bulldogs had an opportunity in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with no outs via an error, fielder’s choice and bunt single, but TC reliever John-Austin Shepard got the Pioneers out of the jam, inducing an infield lineout followed by a 4-6-3 double play.

Tusculum added two more in the seventh. A pair of singles and hit batsman loaded the bases with no outs. An RBI single from Stallings made it 4-2, while a passed ball would plate another run to put the Pioneers on top by three.

Taylor Rakes got the win for Tusculum, improving to 5-2 on the season. He allowed two runs on eight hits in six innings of work, striking out five. Junior right-hander Ben Currie (Clemmons, N.C.) took the loss, falling to 6-2. He allowed four runs on eight hits in six innings of work, striking out five. Shepard notched his league-best ninth save of the year, working the final three innings without allowing a hit, striking out two.

The Bulldogs and Pioneers meet for a doubleheader Saturday, with game one starting at 1 p.m.