CARROLLTON, Ga. --- Christian Ortega belted a solo homer in the top of the 11th inning and Justin Parker pitched out of jam in the bottom of the frame as the Tusculum baseball team outlasted host West Georgia, 8-7 Friday night at Cole Field.
The Pioneers (14-18) overcame an early 5-0 deficit to edge the Wolves (14-14) in the first recorded meeting between the two clubs. The 11-inning affair was Tusculum's fifth extra inning game of the season, but its first resulting in a TU victory.
Parker pitched the final five innings to pick up the win and even his seasonal record at 3-3. He allowed one run on three hits, zero walks and posted four strikeouts in his 62-pitch relief performance.
Tusculum finished the game with three home runs, including a pair of two-run shots off the bats of Zane Keener and Will Samuleson.
West Georgia scored two runs each in the first and second innings and added one tally in the third for a 5-0 advantage. Meanwhile, UWG starter Jonathan Hickman was cruising along and retired the first nine Pioneers.
But in the top of the fourth, Ryan Dos Santos and Wes Reynolds got the inning started with back-to-back singles. After a ground out moved the runners into scoring position, Dos Santos scored the first run on Connor Jurek's RBI groundout. With two outs, Keener stepped to the plate and hit is team-leading sixth home run of the season, with pinch runner Kyle Williams aboard to pull TU to within two at 5-3.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Wolves to two runners aboard and later moved into scoring position on a double steal. But reliever Jacob Willett worked out of trouble with an infield pop-up and a fly out to end the inning.
In the top of the sixth, the Pioneers tied the game as Williams' legged out a bunt single and Samuelson hit a two-run homer to right field to even the score at 5-5.
The Wovles retook the lead in the sixth as Sam Ladner walked and Jonathan Logsdon tripled to make it a 6-5 West Georgia lead.
Tusculum took its first lead of the game in the top of the seventh as Blaze McCauley hit a one-out single and scored on Zach Brunet's RBI double. Rudy Fernandez followed with a RBI single to put TU up 7-6 and chase Hickman out of the game. UWG reliever Ezra Brown ended the inning with a pair of strikeouts to keep it at a one-run deficit.
The score would remain 7-6 until the bottom of the ninth when Collin Moore was hit by a pitch to put the lead-off batter aboard. Parker posted a strikeout and a fly out, keeping Moore at first. But with two outs, Logan Fink doubled to left field to bring home Moore with the tying run.
Tusculum had runners at first and second with one out in the 10th inning, but Jack Rasmussen got the second out of the inning on a strikeout of Samuelson. Jurek struck out swinging at a ball in the dirt. UWG catcher Charlie Tull's throw to first to complete the out was off target and went into the outfield, but Jurek was called for running out of the baseline for the final out of the inning. Parker retired the bottom of the 10th including a pair of strikeouts to send the contest to the 11th.
Rasmussen opened the 11th with a strikeout, but Ortega stepped to the plate and hit the first offering over the fence in center field for an 8-7 Tusculum lead.
The bottom of the 11th started rocky for Parker and the Pioneers as Logsdon led off with a single and moved to second when Moore was hit by pitch. Edgar Cruz was called onto bunt the runners over but Ladner was thrown out at third. Parker got Anthony Calabro to hit into a fielder's choice with the force out at second, putting runners on the corners with two outs. Parker ended the game as Fink would hit a ground ball which resulted in a force out at second.
Tusculum finished the game with 13 hits including two hits each by Williams, Brunet and Fernandez. Fink led the Wolves with his three hits, while Brody Wortham, Logsdon and Calabro had two hits each for West Georgia's 11 hits on the evening.
Rasmussen suffered the loss as he went two innings, allowed one run on four this, zero walks and five strikeouts. Brown tossed 2.2 shutout innings for the hosts as he also tallied five strikeouts on zero walks.
The two teams will close out the weekend series on Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
