GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Anthony
Sully went 2-for-5 and scored the winning run in the top
of the 10th inning as Lenoir-Rhyne defeated No. 19 Tusculum 6-4 in
extra innings in the final game of the South Region Classic, held
Saturday at Pioneer Park. L-R rallied from a 4-1 deficit as the
Bears plated three runs in the eighth inning and two in the 10th
for the victory.
Tusculum's Maikol Gonzalez extended his hitting
streak to 27 games in a row as he went 3-for-4, while
Carlos Rivera, Eric Conley and
Aaron Hudgins each posted multi-hit outings as the
Pioneers suffered only their fourth loss at home this season
(18-4).
Tusculum (38-13) tallied two runs in the bottom of the first as
Rivera clubbed a solo home run over the left field wall, his eighth
round-tripper of the year. Matt Webb drew a two-out walk, moved to
second on Conley's first hit of the day and later scored on a wild
pitch as TC led 2-0.
L-R responded with a run in the top of the second when Evan Taylor
led off with a single and later scored on a RBI hit by Brian
Dice.
The score remained that way until the fifth as the Pioneers took
advantage of a Lenoir-Rhyne error. Marc Hyndsman
led off with a walk and moved to second on a failed pickoff attempt
at first base. After a wild pitch moved him to third, Hyndsman
scored on Rivera's fly out in foul territory down the left field
line. TC plated its fourth run of the afternoon in the seventh when
Christian Rosa tripled to the gap in right center
and later scored on a passed ball as TC led 4-1.
Lenoir-Rhyne battled back in the eighth as the Bears muscled out
three runs on three hits. Sully reached on a one-out single and
moved to third on Daniel Ford's 20th double of the
season to put runners in scoring position. Taylor reached on a
fielding error, driving in Sully from third and placing runners on
the corners. Glass legged out a fielder's choice, avoiding an
inning-ending double play to score Ford from third. Glass stole
second base and scored on Drucker's two-out single to knot the game
at 4-4.
Tusculum had a chance to end the game in the ninth inning as the
Pioneers had two chances for victory. Hudgins led off with a single
and followed with a stolen base. After a walk to Rosa, Rivera
grounded to the hole on the left side, but L-R shortstop
Caden Cross came up with a great play to force out
Hudgins at third base for the first out. Gonzalez followed with a
sharp single through the right side of the infield, but Rosa was
gunned down at the plate by a laser throw by Taylor in right field
for the second out of the frame. With runners on the corners once
again, Webb bounced a grounder between first base and the mound.
L-R reliever Jesse Beane came up with the play of
the day as he picked up the ground ball and his head-first dive to
first base barely edged out Webb to send the contest into extra
innings.
In the 10th, Sully led off with a single and moved to second on a
walk to Ford. Taylor moved the runners up a base with his sacrifice
bunt. TC intentionally walked Glass to load the bases with one out.
During Drucker's at-bat, Sully scored the go-ahead run on a wild
pitch. Drucker brought home an insurance run with his deep fly out
to center.
L-R bullpen ace Josh Keller came on to pitch the
10th as he surrendered a lead off single by Conley. TC got pinch
runner Jake Fowler to second base, but that's as
far as he would go as Keller retired the next three batters on
back-to-back strikeouts and a fly out to end the game.
Beane (5-1) pitched two innings as he allowed three hits and a
walk, while Keller rec