Greeneville, Tenn.----The Tusculum College Pioneers scored four times in the bottom of the eighth inning Sunday afternoon, rallying for a 5-3 victory over visiting Wingate University in South Atlantic Conference baseball action. Tusculum finishes off the weekend sweep, improving to 11-6 overall and 9-3 in the SAC. The Bulldogs fall to 13-6 overall and 9-6 in the conference.
Chris Waylock went two-for-three with two RBI to lead the Tusculum attack.
Jim Tolle went one-for-one with an RBI and a run scored, while
Travis Winnon also drove in a run.
Sophomore infielder
Shane Billings (Kernersville, N.C.) was one-for-three with a homer to lead the Wingate attack. Senior outfielder
Thomas Spitz (West Chester, Pa.) added a double, while senior infielder
Blake Prince (Cutler Bay, Fla.) had a pair of hits for the Bulldogs.
Tusculum took a 1-0 lead in the third, loading the bases with an error and back-to-back bunt singles. The Pioneers scored as Wingate turned a double play to make it 1-0.
The Bulldogs tied the game in the sixth when Billings led off the frame with a solo shot to left center, making it 1-1. Wingate took the lead in the seventh when an error, hit batsman and sacrifice put runners on second and third with one out. A wild pitch allowed sophomore
Colby Barnette (Monroe, N.C.) to score, making it 2-1.
The Pioneers answered with a four-run eighth inning. Tolle's pinch-hit RBI single tied the game at two, while Waylock followed with a two-run single to put Tusculum on top. A sacrifice fly from Winnon gave the Pioneers a 5-2 lead.
Wingate scored a run in the ninth when
Brad Cherry (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) singled, then scored when Prince's single was mis-handled in the outfield, making the final score 5-3.
Michael Scott got the win, tossing three innings in relief, allowing a run on a hit while striking out two. Junior right-hander
Tyler Brown (Suffolk, Va.) took the loss, falling to 3-2. He allowed four runs on four hits in 1 2/3 innings. Freshman left-hander
Kory Behenna (Bahama, N.C.) went 5 2/3 innings, allowing one unearned run on five hits while striking out three.
Wingate is back in action Tuesday, hosting Shippensburg at 12 p.m.