KODAK, Tenn. --- Murphy Flood's two-RBI single highlighted a four-run ninth inning as second-seeded Tusculum defeated Coker 7-3 Saturday afternoon in an elimination game of the Pilot Flying J South Atlantic Conference Baseball Championship at Smokies Park.
The 11th-ranked Pioneers (30-10) move onto another elimination game on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. against an opponent yet to be determined. If No. 3 Newberry defeats No. 1 Catawba in Saturday night's final game, TU will face Newberry on Sunday. If Catawba wins, TU will face the loser of Sunday's contest between No. 4 Wingate and No. 5 Carson-Newman.
TU reliever Mitch McCain tossed four shutout innings and retired the last nine batters in a row to guarantee Tusculum its 17th 30-win season in program history. McCain scattered two hits and struck out five to improve to 3-2 on the season, while recording his 11th career victory in his 75th career mound appearance (2nd in TU history).
Both starting pitchers came out on fire in the first three innings. Coker starter Chris Watkins retired the first 10 Pioneers of the game, while TU's Gunner Becker held the Cobras in check for the first four innings, working around a pair of singles.
Tusculum got on the scoreboard first in the top of the fifth inning as Murphy Flood was hit by a pitch and Trey Hinton followed with a RBI double, his eighth two-base hit of the year. Coker answered in the bottom of the frame when Jackson Williams drew a one-out walk, moved to second on a bunt and scored on Lake Lybrand's base hit to left to tie the contest at 1-1.
The Cobras scored twice in the sixth inning as Phill Griffor and Reilly Hall led off with back-to-back singles against Becker. TU closer Mitch McCain came aboard to relieve Becker. McCain's pick-off attempt at the second base was errant allowed the runners to move up a base. Drew Klaserner drove in Griffor with the go-ahead run. Later in the frame, Kody Hanna drove in Hall with his two-out RBI single for a 3-1 Coker lead.
Tusculum answered in the top of the seventh when Chase Wullenweber reached on a one-out single and moved to second when Daulton Martin was hit by a pitch, his second of the game and his NCAA Division II leading 19th of the year. Ford trimmed the deficit to 3-2 with his RBI single to right, driving in Wullenweber and moving Martin to third base. After a Coker pitching change, Trammell posted his team-leading fifth sacrifice fly to drive in Martin with the tying run.
The Cobras got the go-ahead run at second base with no outs in the seventh, but McCain got a strikeout and a pair of fly outs to keep the score deadlocked at 3-3.
In the top of the ninth, Tusculum got the first two batters aboard as Ford was hit by a pitch and Trammell hit a single. Daalen Adderley loaded the bases when he reached on a bunt that was mishandled. After a strikeout, Flood stepped in a took the second pitch from Coker reliever Jonathan Ford and lined a two-run single for a 5-3 TU lead. Wes Reynolds was hit by a pitch to load the bases again and Luis Ezra made it 6-3 with his sacrifice fly. Wullenweber capped the scoring as he posted his second hit of the game with a RBI single.
McCain retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth, including back-to-back strikeouts to end the game.
Trammell, Flood and Wullenweber each went 2-for-4 in the game, while Griffor was the lone Cobra with a multi-hit outing. The Pioneers stranded 12 runners on base as TU batters were plunked six times, tying a season-high and are the third-most in school history.
Bryson Ford also record two stolen bases, giving him a SAC-leading 23 for the season, which are tied for seventh most in school history with former All-American outfielder Carlos Rivera (23 in 2007). It was also 59th and 60th stolen bases of his collegiate career.
Becker had the no-decision as he went five innings, allowed three runs, two earned, five hits, two walks and walked three.
Tusculum went without a home run for the first time in seven games. TU also snapped a four-game losing streak in the SAC Tournament with its last win come against Wingate in 2018.
