GAFFNEY, S.C. --- Nate Grabowski went 3-for-4 and drove in the game-winning run in the top of the ninth inning to lead the Tusculum College baseball team to a 7-6 come-from-behind victory at Limestone College Tuesday afternoon at Bob Prevatte Field.
The Pioneers (27-15) sweep the season series with the Saints (12-33), while capturing their 13th win in TC's last 15 outings.
Tusculum rallied from a 5-1 deficit as the Pioneers out-hit Limestone by a 13-11 margin. Eric Barclay went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, including the winning tally in the ninth. Tusculum reliever Cody Stites picked up the victory to improve to 4-0 on the season.
The Saints jumped out to a three-run lead in the first inning, highlighted by Drew Lydon's two-run homer.
Tusculum got one of the runs back in the third inning as Payden Houser led off with a single and scored on Branfy Arias' one-out triple.
Limestone answered with two tallies in the fourth frame as Lydon doubled home a run and Micah Robinson scored on Tim Welsh's RBI ground out to give the Saints a 5-1 advantage.
Tusculum tied the game at 5-5 with four runs in the fifth as nine Pioneers went to the plate. Houser and Rolondo Bonner recorded back-to-back, one-out singles. Arias recorded his second RBI of the game with a base hit. Barclay drove in the second run of the inning with his RBI single. After a walk to Jared Richmond, Grabowski singled home Arias. Sean Finucane tied the game with his sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Barclay from third.
David Christy connected on a solo blast in the bottom of the inning as Limestone regained the lead at 6-5.
The Pioneers knotted the contest at 6-6 with a run in the top of the seventh. Barclay reached third with his double, coupled with a fielding error. Richmond grounded out to the second to drive in Barclay with the tying score.
The score would remain tied until the ninth as Barclay led off with a walk and later scored on Grabowski's team-leading 16th double of the season.
Stites retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth to preserve the win as he pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for the Pioneers, where he allowed a hit and a walk.
Houser, Bonner and Arias each finished with two hits, while Grabowski and Arias had multi-RBI performances. Houser and Grabowski have hit safely in each of their last 18 games.
The Pioneers return to the diamond this Friday afternoon as they face cross-mountain rival Mars Hill College at 3 p.m. from Henderson Field.
- TC -
