HICKORY, N.C. --- Paul Finger went 3-for-4 with a double as the third-seeded Tusculum baseball team defeated No. 2 Carson-Newman Friday night at Bears Field in a winners bracket game of the 2008 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament.

The 29th-ranked Pioneers (36-12) advance to the winners? bracket final as they take on top-seeded Catawba (No. 23 in NCAA II), Saturday at noon from L.P. Frans Stadium.

The Eagles (37-15) will play Wingate at 3:45 p.m. in an elimination game.

The Pioneers drew first blood in the opening inning. With one out, Carlos Rivera (Leesburg, Va.) singled and Maikol Gonzalez (Maracaibo, Venezuela) drew a walk. Matt Webb (Duluth, Ga.) followed with a single in the hole between short and third to plate the game's first run.

Tusculum looked to extend its lead in the third. Gonzalez and Webb singled with one out then Eric Conley (Knoxville, Teen.) lined a single to left, but Nick Achberger (Anderson, S.C.) gunned down Gonzalez at the plate. Eagle shortstop Mills Rogers (Simpsonville, S.C.) ended the frame with another nice defensive play on a grounder up the middle.

Christian Rosa (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico) gave the Pioneers their second run with a double in the fourth. He plated Aaron Hudgins (Kingsport, Tenn.), who had reached on a two-out error and moved to second on a wild pitch.

The Eagles cut the lead in half in the top of the fifth. Rogers led off with a single then moved to second on a sacrifice and to third on a fly ball. After a walk to Langdon Potts (Dandridge, Va.), Jason Gray (Rutledge, Tenn.) singled deep in the hole at short to score the run. Carson-Newman nearly did more damage, but TC starter Eric Donohue (New Market, N.H.) got Achberger on a ground out to first with the bases loaded.

Marc Hyndsman (Morristown, N.J.) helped give the Pioneers an insurance run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly. Conley drew a leadoff walk and pinch runner Jake Fowler (Knoxville, Tenn.) moved to third on a single by Finger (Lincolnton, N.C.). Hudgins plated the final run as he singled in Finger from third for a 4-1 edge.

Donohue went seven innings to pick up the win, moving to 6-1. He allowed just four hits and one run with seven strikeouts. Mat Galens (Louisville, Ky.) tossed the final two innings to record his third saves of the season and 10th of his career.

Corbin Ariail (Elgin, S.C.) pitched well in the loss for the Eagles. He went six and a third innings allowing two runs (one earned) on nine hits and struck out seven.

The Pioneers finished with 11 hits, including multi-hit performances by Finger, Webb and Gonzalez as he went 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 24 consecutive games.

- SAC -