GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Brandon Trammell went 4-for-6 with six RBI and a home run, while Bryson Ford homered twice in Tusculum's 17-7 South Atlantic Conference win over UVa-Wise Monday afternoon at Pioneer Park.
The Pioneers (11-9, 1-5 SAC) salvage a win in the weekend series finale that was moved to Greeneville yesterday due to unplayable conditions at Stallard Field in Wise.
Tusculum established new season highs with 17 runs and 20 hits including six of the extra-base variety.
TU overcame a pair of one-run deficits and erupted for four runs in the fifth inning and scored five times each in the fourth and ninth frames.
Every Tusculum starter finished with a hit as Daulton Martin went 3-for-5 and scored four times, while Luis Ezra also had a three-hit day. Ford also scored four times as he drew a pair of walks to go along with his two homers, marking the 54th multi-home run game in TU history and the first since Martin belted two homers at Lynn University last season.
TU's Jaden Steagall, Trey Hinton and Jake Wapinsky each accounted for multi-hit performances.
Meanwhile, TU reliever Mitch McCain (1-2) pitched the final five innings as he scattered two hits, allowed one run, zero walks and six strikeouts to post his first win of 2020.
The Cavaliers (9-7, 3-3 SAC) plated the first run of the game in the opening frame, but TU tied it and took the lead in the third as Martin posted a RBI double and Trammell followed with a one-out, RBI single to give TU a 2-1 lead. The Cavs answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning on RBI hits from Tyler Blaum and Gabe Wurtz to lead 3-2.
The Pioneers sent 10 batters to the plate in the top of the fourth inning as TU scored five times on five hits including RBI singles from Steagall and Hinton, along with Trammell's two-run single.
In the bottom of the fourth, UVa-Wise scored three times in the frame including a bases loaded walk by Bret Roberts and a two-run single off the bat of Tyler Blaum as the Cavs trailed 7-6.
The Pioneers mounted a two-out, none-on rally as Martin singled and Ford followed with a walk. Brandon Trammell blasted a three-run homer that hit the batter's eye fencing in deep center field to extend Tusculum's lead to 10-6. Ezra belted his fourth double of the year and scored on Steagall's RBI single to left to make it an 11-6 game.
Ford led off the top of the seventh inning with a solo blast to left field for Tusculum and Wise pinch-hitter Tyler Horvath led off the eighth with his first homer of the year. TU added five more runs in the ninth including Ford's second homer of the game, a two-run shot to left again.
The Pioneers begin a brief four-game road trip with Tuesday's trip to Young Harris College for a 4 p.m. contest, weather-permitting. Following that game, TU will be at Coker University this weekend for a SAC series against the Cobras.
Martin recorded his SAC leading 13th stolen base of the year and the 34th of his career which moves him in a tie for 10th place in the TU record book. His three hits on the day moved him into sole possession of second place on the TU hit-list with 238 for his career and needs 25 more to break the school record held by Tusculum Sports Hall of Famer Josh Wolff (262 from 2003-2006). He is also closing in on the TU runs record. His 176 runs are second in school history and is four shy of Wolff's all-time mark (180).