Pioneers sweep Cobras for third win in a row

Pioneers sweep Cobras for third win in a row

HARTSVILLE, S.C. --- The Tusculum University baseball team combined for 26 runs and 19 hits as the Pioneers swept a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader at Coker University Saturday afternoon at Tom J. New Field.

The Pioneers (13-9, 3-5 SAC) got a pair of doubles from outfielder Fuzzy Furr as TU scored seven runs in the opening inning and never looked back in a 17-2 win over the Cobras in the opener. The Pioneers got a strong pitching effort from Tyler Harmon as the TU exploded for a five-run, fifth inning as the visitors completed the sweep with a 9-3 win in the night-cap.

Game 1: Tusculum 17, Coker 2

Furr went 2-for-4 with three RBI, while outfielder Brandon Trammell also has a three-RBI performance as Tusculum won 17-2.  The Pioneers scored 17 runs for a second consecutive game as TU finished with 11 hits and 13 walks and took advantage of three Coker errors, all in a seven-run first inning.

TU's Trey Hinton posted two hits, while Jordan Beaver scored three times including his two-run homer to spark a seven-run, seventh inning.  Of the 13 walks, which are tied for sixth-most in TU history, four came from Jake Wapinsky to tie a school single-game record.  Daulton Martin had a two-run triple in the first inning and was hit by a pitch twice in the contest.

The pitching trio of Gunner Becker, Jacob Willett and Alec Lay limited the Cobras to seven hits and a pair of runs.  Becker went seven innings, allowed five hits, two runs, one walk and two strikeouts to improve to 3-0 on the year. Willett and Lay pitched in the eighth and ninth inning respectively, recording a strikeout apiece.

Coker starter Michael DeLeo suffered the loss to fall to 3-2 on the year.

Game 2: Tusculum 9, Coker 3

In the second game, Jaden Steagall went 2-for-4 including his grand slam in the fifth inning as the Pioneers won 9-3 for the Saturday sweep.  Hinton posted two hits for a second straight game.

Harmon pitched six effective innings while allowing three runs on two hits, one walk and four strikeouts for his first win at Tusculum.  Mitch McCain tossed a perfect bottom of the seventh with two strikeouts.

Tusculum plated two runs in the first inning thanks to a RBI single from Trammell and Luis Ezra's league-leading sixth sacrifice fly of the year.  Coker tied the game at 2-2 with a pair of scoring tallies in the fourth inning. But the Pioneers answered with five unearned runs in the fifth including Steagall's grand slam to left field for his third home run of the season.

The Pioneers will close out the series on Sunday with a 1 p.m. contest.  Tusculum will return to Greeneville and begin an eight-game home-stand on Tuesday against Embry-Riddle.