FOREST CITY, N.C. --- Fifth-seeded Tusculum built a three-run lead and held off second-seeded Mars Hill to claim a 3-1 victory on Thursday in the first round of the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Baseball Tournament at McNair Field.

With the win, Tusculum (30-16) advances to the quarterfinals and will face the winner of No. 3 Catawba and No. 4 Carson-Newman on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Mars Hill (28-16) will play top-seeded Wingate on Friday at noon. The Bulldogs fell to sixth-seeded Lincoln Memorial, 10-9, on Thursday.

The Pioneers took a 1-0 lead in the first on a RBI single by Sean Finucane (Cortland, N.Y.) and added a two-run blast by Paul Finger (Lincolnton, N.C.) in the sixth to build a 3-0 cushion.

However, Mars Hill made one last push in the ninth, as Patrick Davidson (Swannanoa, N.C.) produced a run-scoring single to trim Tusculum's lead to 3-1. The Lions proceeded to get the tying run on base, but Pioneer starting pitcher Tyler Collins (Snellville, Ga.) was able to get Mars Hill to ground into a game-ending 4-6-3 double play.

Collins (6-1) worked all nine innings, allowed eight hits and one run and fanned six to earn the win.

Wingate starter Greg Smith (Murrells Inlet, S.C.) was tagged with the loss after surrendering two earned runs and nine hits in 8 1/3 innings on the mound. Smith (5-4) struck out eight on the day.

Tusculum collected nine hits for the game, including a 4-for-4 effort from Finucane. Payden Houser (Lincolnton, N.C.) added two hits in the win.

Mars Hill tallied eight hits, as Davidson led the way by going 2-for-3.

- TC -