WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. --- The Palm Beach Atlantic baseball team recorded their second walk-off win in as many days as the Sailfish scored on a wild pitch in the ninth inning to edge visiting Tusculum 2-1 Friday afternoon at Jake Rubin Park.
Nate Housen led off the bottom of the ninth with a double and moved to third on Elias Machado's bunt single. Housen would score the winning run on a wild pitch to end the game.
The Sailfish (2-0) rattled off 10 hits on the dial while the pitching trio of Dan Beebe, Justin Lovell and Chris Seymour worked around seven hits and 10 walks as PBA staff recorded 13 strikeouts and stranded a dozen TU runners.
Of the Pioneers' 10 walks, Tusculum's Zane Keener tied a school single-game record with four walks.
Tusculum starter Luke Absher was brilliant in his Pioneer debut as he allowed a run on six hits with zero walks and three strikeouts in his six innings on the bump.
After four scoreless innings, Tusculum got on the board in the top fifth inning as Will Samuelson led off with a single. He moved to second on a bunt and later scored on a Rudy Fernandez two-out RBI single. After a walk to Keener to put runners at first and second, Murphy Flood hit a single to left, but Fernandez was gunned down at the plate for the final out of the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Sailfish got the equalizer as Matthew Faranda led off with a base hit, moved to second on ground out and later crossed the plate thanks to Dre Llopiz's one-out RBI single.
In the seventh, the Pioneers loaded the bases on three walks by PBA reliever Justin Lovell. But Lovell worked out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts to keep the game at 1-1.
The Sailfish had a great opportunity to take the lead in the bottom of the seventh when Sean Williams opened with a single and moved to second on Matty Warren's one-out hit. A groundout moved the runners into scoring position, but reliever Drew Sliwinski would strikeout Faranda to end the inning.
Tusculum mounted a two-rally in the top of the eighth as Max Schmarder lined a single to center and moved to second on a fielding error by the outfielder. Samuelson drew his third walk of the day and both runners moved up a base on a passed ball. Palm Beach Atlantic ended the threat with a fly out to end the inning.
Seymour came onto pitch the top of the ninth for PBA as he got a strikeout to start the inning. Fernandez walked but would be thrown out on a steal attempt for the second out. Keener and Flood drew back-to-back walks, but Seymour would get a strikeout to end the threat.
Seymour earned the victory to move to 1-0 on the season, while Sliwinski pitched two innings in the loss.
Samuelson got aboard in each of his four plate appearances thanks to a single and three walks.
The Pioneers will have a quick turnaround as TU makes the short trip to Barry University to take on the Buccaneers at 6 p.m. in Miami Shores.
