GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University outfielder Wes Reynolds went 2-for-3 with a double and a three-run homer in Saturday's second game to complete a non-conference doubleheader sweep over King University at Pioneer Park.
Tusculum won the first game 4-2 and erupted for 15 runs in their final three at-bats in a 15-3 rout in the night-cap. TU (21-15) wins the weekend series 2-1 and the season series 3-2 over the Tornado (11-21).
Game 1: Tusculum 4, King 2
Tusculum shortstop Ben Scartz went 3-for-5 while the pitching duo of Seth Willis and Drew Sliwinski combined on a gem as the Pioneers prevailed 4-2 over King.
Tusculum took advantage of nine base hits, five walks and five King errors to snap a five-game losing streak. TU outfielders Tyler Ranel and Murphy Flood each accounted for a pair of hits.
Willis (6-1) pitched 6.1 innings in the start while allowing one run on seven hits, three walks and a strikeout in his 101-pitch performance. Sliwinski recorded his first save of 2023 as he went 2.2 innings, allowed four hits, one run, one walk and recorded four strikeouts.
Willis and King starter Drew Moore blanked the opposition through the first four innings. TU punched through in the fifth inning with a pair of runs as Ranel hit a one-out double followed by Zane Keener's walk. Scartz singled in Ranel with the game's first run and third-baseman Christian Ortega followed with a RBI hit of his own.
In the top of the sixth, Willis got a fly out to start the inning but surrendered a triple to right fielder Derek Martin. Sliwinski took over on the mound and gave up a RBI single to Mason Swartz to make it a 2-1 game. But Sliwinski got an infield pop out and strikeout to end the inning.
Tusculum added a pair of unearned runs in the seventh thanks to a pair of King errors as TU led 4-1.
In the top of the ninth, Martin led off with a home run to left field to cut the deficit to 4-2. Swartz drew a walk to bring the tying run to the plate with no outs. But Sliwinski closed out the game with back-to-back strikeouts and a ground out.
The Tornado finished the game with 11 hits including Martin's 2-for-2 performance, while Swartz and Chase Hilliard added two hits apiece.
Game 2: Tusculum 15, King 3
The Pioneers rallied from a 2-0 deficit and scored 11 unanswered runs to end the game in a 15-3 win over King in Saturday's second game.
Tusculum accounted for 13 hits including 10 in the in the final three innings alone as the Pioneers scored four in the fourth, six in the fifth and five more in the sixth. TU also utilized eight walks with five of them resulting in runs for the Pioneers.
Second baseman Rudy Fernandez went 3-for-4, while Ortega, Keener, Reynolds and catcher Kaden Swaim had two hits apiece.
The Tornado had their chances as they left 10 runners on base including two times where the inning ended with the bases loaded.
King scored two runs in the third inning to take a 2-0 lead. Ethan Hawkins drew a walk and Junior Renwick moved him to third on his sixth double of the year. Hawkins scored on a ground out and Renwick made it 2-0 on Jake Lathrop's sacrifice fly
The Pioneers batted around in the each of the final three innings. Fernandez reached on a one-out single and Flood drew a walk. Reynolds stepped up and hit a three-run homer to left field for his fifth homer of the season. Later in the inning, Keener went the opposite way and flared a RBI single down the left field line as TU led 4-2.
The Tornado answered with a run in the top of the fifth inning, but the Pioneers exploded for six runs in the bottom of the frame. Tusculum posted five hits in the inning including a two-run single by first baseman Will Samuelson and a two-run homer from Swaim.
TU added five more runs in the sixth including a RBI single from Fernandez and bases loaded walks to Flood and Samuelson to put the game out of reach.
Fox-Birdwell (2-1) went 4.1 innings, allowed three runs, three hits, five walks and a strikeout. Jacob Willett tossed 1.2 shutout innings, while freshman Kohen Ponder blanked King in the ninth with a strikeout.
Keener reached base safely in each half of Saturday's doubleheader to extend his streak to 39 straight games (6th longest streak in program history).
Tusculum begins a season-long eight-game road swing starting with Wednesday's non-conference game at South Atlantic Conference newcomer Emory & Henry. The Wasps defeated Tusculum in Greeneville in this year's first encounter.
