WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. --- The Palm Beach Atlantic University baseball team used a seven-run, seventh inning en route to a 7-1 win over visiting Tusculum University Saturday at J.M. Jake Rubin Park.
The Sailfish (2-0) pick up their second straight victory to open the season, while the Pioneers fall to 1-2 on its season-opening Florida road swing. Tusculum will wrap up the weekend on Sunday with a 12 p.m. first pitch at Lynn University.
Three PBA pitchers held the Pioneers to one run and three singles on the day.
Tusculum starting pitcher Zach Sanders pitched well as he tossed five shutout innings where he scattered four hits, one walk and recorded three strikeouts.
Sailfish starter Christian Denton worked 6.1 innings of one-run baseball before giving way to Heath Hawkins and Justin Hernandez as the duo blanked the Pioneers for the final 2.2 innings.
Jake Wapinsky drove in the first run of the day in the top of the fifth with his sacrifice fly to plate Sam Urban from third base.
TU reliever Andrew Willis took over for Sanders in the sixth and worked around a two-out single to maintain the 1-0 lead. But in the bottom of the seventh, the Sailfish got two runners on with one out. A wild pitch moved the runners up a base. Willis got S. Houck to hit into a fielder's choice to third baseman Bryson Ford, who threw home for the second out of the inning. With runners on the corners, Perez drew a walk to load the bases. PBA's Derek Schwimer lined a two-strike, two-run single to center field to give Palm Beach a 2-1 lead. The Sailfish tacked on five more runs including a two-run double by Rowland.
Schwimer, Rowland and Houck each tallied two hits in the game while Tusculum got base hits from Daulton Martin, Sam Urban and Jake Wapkinsky.
Hawkins (1-0) recorded the victory in relief, while Willis (0-2) suffered his second loss in as many days.
