WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. --- Freshman Jake Absher drove in the game-winning run in the top of the 10th inning to lead Tusculum to an 8-7 win over Palm Beach Atlantic Saturday afternoon.
Absher went 3-for-5 with three RBI while junior catcher Avery Collins went 2-for-5 in his Tusculum debut. The Pioneers (1-1) finished the game with 10 hits and drew 14 walks in the victory.
The Sailfish (0-3) finished with 15 hits including three-hit performances from Matty Warren and Pedro Figueroa.
Tusculum jumped out to an early 2-0 lead as the visitors plated a run each in the first and second innings. Murphy Flood drove in the first run of the game with his two-out single in the first. Kayl Ratliff put down a squeeze bunt in the second frame.
Palm Beach Atlantic plated an unearned run in the bottom of third inning before Tusculum answered with a run in the fourth on Collins RBI double to make it a 3-1 score.
The Sailfish scored in the bottom of the fourth on Ben Green's RBI single. Tusculum responded in the top of the fifth as Flood drew a one-out walk and scored on Absher's RBI double to left field as TU extended the lead to 4-2.
PBAU took its first lead of the game as the Sailfish scored three times in the fifth as the hosts rattled off five hits in the frame including RBI singles from Matthew Faranda and Stanton Leuthner.
Trailing 6-5, the Pioneers came back with three runs of their own as Flood drew a bases-loaded walk and Absher followed with a RBI single. Jayden Singleton made it 7-5 with his two-out single.
The Sailfish tied the game at 7-7 with runs in the seventh and eighth innings.
In the top of the 10th, Zach Wilson led off with a walk and would later score Absher's third RBI hit of the game with his two-out single to left to give the Pioneers a one-run lead.
Tusculum reliever Drew Sliwinski retired the side in order in the bottom of the 10th to preserve the one-run victory. Sliwinski pitched the final 3.2 innings where he scattered three hits, one runs, one walk and posted two strikeouts.
Farnada, who took over in the sixth, pitched four strong innings as he allowed one run on only hits, walked four and struck out three as he suffered the loss.
Tusculum starter Brady Salyards pitched 4.1 innings, allowed four runs, three earned, six hits, one walk and four strikeouts in his 72-pitch effort.
The Pioneers close out their Florida road swing Saturday night against undefeated Lynn University in Miami Gardens.
