Posted: Apr 03, 2019
MARION, N.C. --- Bryson Ford recorded five hits on the day including two home runs as the Tusculum University baseball team split a doubleheader with Winston-Salem State Universty Wednesday afternoon.
In the first game, the Rams erupted for nine runs in the second inning, including a grand slam by Hunter Phillips as WSSU held off a late TU charge in posting a 10-7 win. The Pioneers bounced back in the second game as the Pioneers over came a 2-1 deficit with nine late inning runs and got four shutout innings from relief pitcher Trevor Lloyd as Tusculum prevailed 10-2.
Game 1: Winston-Salem State 10, Tusculum 7
WSSU sent rallied from an 2-0 deficit as the Rams sent 13 batters to the plate in a nine-run, second inning in a 10-7 win in the opener.
Phillips went 3-for-3 including two hits in the second including the grand slam that gave the Rams a 9-2 advantage.
Tusculum was led at the plate by Ford who went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a home run.
TU also a got a pair of hits from Nate Montgomery while Daulton Martin had a single and drew three walks and scored three runs.
Trailing 9-2, the Pioneers chipped away at the deficit scoring three runs in the third inning thanks to a two-run single by Garrett Dupuis. TU taked on another run in the third on Jarel McDade's RBI single. Ford made it a 9-7 game with his two-run blast in the fourth inning.
But that would be as close as TU got as Shannon Glover posted a RBI double in the firth inning and reliever Parker Strader closed out the game with two shutout innings where he allowed one hit, one walk and posted three strikeouts.
Game 2: Tusculum 10, Winston-Salem State 2
Tusculum overcame a 2-1 deficit after the first inning and scored three times in the fifth inning and added six more in the sixth to salvage a 10-2 win.
The Pioneers finished the game with 10 hits including two hits each from Ford, Montgomery and Jarel McDade.
Trevor Lloyd posted a career outing on the mound as he limited the Rams to one hit and recorded four strikeouts to post his first win of his collegiate career.
Tusculum scored a run in the top of the first on Chase Wullenweber's sacrifice fly for a 1-0 TU lead.
WSSU scored two in the bottom of the frame on a Luke Spiva two-run double.
The score remained 2-1 until the fifth inning until the Pioneers scored three times, including two run on Ford's second homer of the day as the Pioneers led 4-2.
Tusculum put the game out of reach with a six-run sixth thanks to a two-run single by Martin, a two-run hit by Montgomery and Wullenweber drove in his second run of the game with a RBI single.
TU reliever Carter Linton made his varsity debut as he pitched two shutout innings with four strikeouts.
The Pioneers return to action on Friday night at 6 p.m. when they begin a three-game South Atlantic Conference series at Anderson University.
