GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum's Will Samuelson hit a pair of home runs and finished with five RBI in leading the Pioneers to a 16-2 win over Davis & Elkins Sunday afternoon at Pioneer Park in non-conference baseball action.
The Pioneers (7-2) complete the three-game sweep over the Senators (0-3) while extending their winning streak to seven in a row.
Tusculum out-hit D&E by a 16-3 margin as 10 different Pioneers recorded a hit. Samuelson and Ben Scartz each had three hits in the game while Luis Reyes and Kaden Swaim had multiple-hit outings.
Tusculum scored six runs in the bottom of the first highlighted by back-to-back homers from Samuelson and Zach Brunet. Luis Reyes and Zane Keener led off with walks to start the inning and Christian Ortega brought them both home with a two-run single. After Scartz reached on a two-out single, Samuelson blasted a shot over the right field wall for a three-run homer. Brunet followed with an opposite field shot to right to make it a 6-0 TU lead.
The Pioneers scored three times in the second as the first two scored on back-to-back sacrifice flies from Swaim and Wes Reynolds. Scartz would bring home the third run of the frame with his two-out single.
Meanwhile, Tusculum starting pitcher Brady Salyards carried a perfect game into the fourth inning. He retired 10 straight before walking D&E's Cole Hitch and Lucas Myford with two outs. Aydin Zimmerman broke up the no-hit bid with his two-run triple. He tried to stretch the hit into an inside-the-park home run, but he was gunned down at the plate.
Leading 9-2, Tusculum got a two-run double from Scartz in the sixth, scored a pair of unearned runs in the seventh and Samuelson hit a two-run homer in the eighth.
Salyards improves to 2-0 on the season as he went five innings, allowed two runs on three hits, two walks and five strikeouts. Alex Crosby pitched three shutout innings while Trejen Fox-Birdwell tossed a perfect ninth inning including a strikeout to end the game.
Tusculum hosts No. 30 Young Harris on Tuesday for a 2 p.m. regional contest at Pioneer Park.
