Pioneers down Coker 5-3 to complete weekend sweep

Pioneers down Coker 5-3 to complete weekend sweep

HARTSVILLE, S.C. --- The Tusculum University baseball team rallied from behind twice as the Pioneers won 5-3 Sunday afternoon at Coker University in South Atlantic Conference action at Tom J. New Field.

With the victory, Tusculum (14-9, 4-5 SAC) completes the weekend sweep of the Cobras (8-14, 2-7 SAC) and moves from the bottom of the league to tied for fifth in the SAC standings.

Trailing early 2-0, Tusculum Jaden Steagall tied the game with his two-run homer in the second inning. Coker retook the lead in the third on a Phillip Grif solo home run. But the Pioneers plated two runs in the fourth inning as Jake Wapinsky tied the game with his one-out double, while Bryson Ford's sacrifice fly drove in Trey Hinton with the eventual game-winning run. TU tacked on an insurance run in the eighth on Fuzzy Furr's one-out double.

Tusculum starter Nick Flesher went six innings, allowed five runs, three earned, walked three and struck out three to improve his record to 3-1 on the year.  Reliever Sam Loew pitched two shutout innings where he struck out three and allowed two hits, while Carter Linton blanked the Cobras in the ninth for his first save of the year.

Both teams finished with eight hits apiece as TU left 10 runners on base while Coker stranded eight base-runners. Furr finished the game going 2-for-4 with a RBI.  Grant Thompson paced Coker offensively going 3-for-5 while Griffor had two hits with three RBI.

Tusculum takes its four-game winning streak into this week's two-game home series with Embry-Riddle. The first game will be played on Tuesday at 6 p.m. followed by the second game on Wednesday at 1 p.m. from Pioneer Park.