GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum College baseball team posted its 10th consecutive victory as the Pioneers defeated visiting Stillman College, 17-7 Tuesday night at Pioneer Park. Tusculum (24-13) recorded 16 hits and scored double-digit runs for an eighth consecutive game.
Sean Cotten went 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored, including his 11th double of the season. Eric Barclay went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks and scored four times, while Jared Richmond went 2-for-4 with four RBI to increase his personal hitting streak to 18 consecutive games.
Payden Houser recorded a pair of hits, while Nate Grabowski posted a two-run single as the duo has hit safely in their last 13 games. Sean Finucane went 2-for-5, including his 12th double of the year, while Rolondo Bonner added a 2-for-5 performance.
After Tusculum scored a run in the first, Stillman (20-20) posted two runs of their own in the top of the second, including a sacrifice fly by Dion Bryant and a two-out single by Justin Bryan as the Tigers led 2-1.
Tusculum regained the lead in the bottom of the frame with three runs. Paul Finger drew a lead-off walk and later scored on Matt Henriksen's ground out. With two away, Grabowski plated a pair of runs on his infield single that ricocheted off of first base and went into the outfield.
In the third inning, TC scored seven runs as 11 batters went to the plate to give the Pioneers an 11-2 lead. Tusculum took advantage of three walks and six hits, including a two-run single by Richmond and a RBI-double by Finucane.
Stillman clawed back as the Tigers batted around, including a grand slam by Sean Blair as SC trimmed the deficit to 11-6. The Tigers had the bases loaded with two outs, but reliever JD Howard came aboard and got the final out of the inning as Richmond made a diving catch in first base foul territory to maintain the five-run lead.
Tusculum added two runs in the bottom of the inning on Cotten's two-out, two-run single. The Pioneers plated four more scoring tallies in the seventh to put the game away, including another two-run single by Richmond.
Howard (1-0) picked up his first collegiate win as he pitched 3 1/3 innings shutout innings where he allowed one hit, walked two and struck out three.
Grayson Crawford and Bryant each went 2-for-3 in the game for Stillman.
During its 10-game hitting streak, the Pioneers are batting a sizzling .463 as a team, including 35 doubles, 25 home runs to go along with a phenomenal .740 slugging percentage. During its last 10 games, Tusculum is averaging 16.4 runs and 18.7 hits per contest.
The two teams will close out the two-game, mid-week series on Wednesday with a 1 p.m. first-pitch at Pioneer Park.
- TC -
