Bellarmine uses six-run inning to salvage series finale, Pioneers win weekend set 2-1

Bellarmine uses six-run inning to salvage series finale, Pioneers win weekend set 2-1

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Bellarmine University baseball team did all their damage in the middle three innings, including a 6-run sixth as the Knights rallied to a 10-7 win at Tusculum College Sunday afternoon.

Bellarmine (2-4) salvages the final game of the three-game weekend set as the Pioneers (5-5) have their three-game winning streak halted, but still capture their second straight series win, 2-1.

The Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit scoring two runs in the fourth, tied the game at 4-4 in the fifth with a pair of runs and sent 10 batters to the plate in the sixth.

Bellarmine finished with 13 hits, including Bobby Brokamp's 3-for-4 performance to go along with four RBIs including his two-run, game tying homer in the fifth.

Tusculum plated three runs in the second inning when the first three Pioneers reached base. After a strikeout and an infield fly out, John Bennett legged out an infield hit to drive in the game's first run.  Edison Cabrera crushed a two-run double to center, but was thrown out at third base for the final out of the inning before Bennett crossed the plate.

The Knights plated a pair of unearned runs in the fourth inning when Drew Greenwood laid down a bunt, and moved to third on a TC throwing error on the play. Griffin Neuer reached on an infield single to drive in Greenwood.  Two batters later Alex Ralph singled home Neuer to trim the deficit to 3-2.  TC starter Christian Raasch, who was cruising along through the first three innings, ended the inning with a ground out and a fly out to preserve the one-run lead.

Tusculum got one of those runs back when senior John Topoleski led off the fourth with a home run to left field on the first pitch of the inning.

In the Bellarmine fifth, Tyler Neely led off the inning with a single and later scored on Brokamp's two-run blast over the left field wall to even the score at 4-4.

In the 6-run sixth, the Knights tallied five hits, including Brokamp's two-run double and a two-run single from Greenwood as BU led 10-4.

Meanwhile, Bellarmine reliever Duncan Amrein (1-0) pitched three shutout innings and scattered two hits and a pair of walks to go along with a strikeout. 

Amrein was lifted in the bottom of the eighth as Tusculum mounted a two-out rally.  Daulton Martin got on with a walk and moved to third on Frankie Valle single down the left field line.  Pinch-hitter Colby Skeen came on, worked the count full and blasted a three-run homer to right field to trim the deficit to 10-7.

In the Tusculum ninth, BU's Willie Poe walked Jeremy Glore to lead off the inning, but got an infield pop-up, a strikeout and a fly out to secure his first save of the year.

Amrein (1-0) was credited with the win in relief, while Raasch (0-3) suffered the loss.  Raasch recorded five strikeouts in his 5.2 innings of work.

The TC pitching quartet of Eamonn Collins, Tyler Hall, Colby Grissom and Spencer Brothers blanked the Knights over the last 3.1 innings to keep the Pioneers within striking distance.

Neuer tallied three hits on the day for the Knights, while Greenwood and Casey Lomack finished with two hits each.

Tusculum ended the day with a dozen hits, including two hits each from Cabrera, Glore and Bradley Evans.

Tusculum will be on the road for back-to-back games this week beginning with Tuesday's non-South Atlantic Conference game at arch-rival Carson-Newman University, beginning at 2 p.m.  TC will be at King University on Wednesday at 2 p.m. before returning home next weekend when they host Coker College for a three-game weekend set.