GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Alexi Colon's two-run homer in the seventh inning proved to be the game-winner in Tusculum's 4-3 victory over Limestone Thursday afternoon at Pioneer Park in non-conference baseball action.
The Pioneers (32-16) snap a five-game losing streak and avenge a 6-5 loss to the Saints (32-18) earlier this month. It was also the home finale for Tusculum this season.
Aaron Guinn went 2-for-2 for Tusculum with a pair of RBI, while seniors Sean Cotten and Rolondo Bonner each posted 2-for-4 performances in their career home finales at Pioneer Park.
Senior starter Tyler Collins, who was making his final collegiate start, pitched seven strong innings, allowed six hits, two runs, one earned, walked one and posted six strikeouts as he improves his record to 4-1 on the year, while also tallying his 15th career victory, which is tied for 10th most in school history. Rookie Billy Sivyer relieved senior Cody Stites in the eighth inning as he retired all four batters he would face, including the final two on strikeouts, to notch his first collegiate save.
Limestone (ranked No. 9 in the NCAA Division II Southeast Region) got on the board in the first innings as Micah Robinson reached on a two-out single and Joe Maloney laced his 12th double into gap in left field for a 1-0 LC advantage.
Tusculum knotted the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning when Bonner led off with a single, to extend his hitting streak to nine consecutive games. After a walk to Trey Drewery, Matt Henriksen bunted them over into scoring position. Guinn drove in Bonner from third base with the game-tying run.
TC gained its first lead of the night in the fourth as Henriksen doubled off the wall in left field and later scored on Guinn's RBI single. But Limestone wasted little time to respond as the Saints took advantage of two errors and Robinson singled in David Christy to tie the game at 2-2.
The score would remain that way until the seventh inning as Guinn drew a lead-off walk and moved to second on Payden Houser's bunt. With two outs, Colon lifted a fly ball that cleared the right field wall for his 12th home run of the season to give the Pioneers a 4-2 lead.
The Saints cut the deficit to in half in the top of the eighth when Al Benson hit a two-out single off of Stites to drive in Jake Rierson. Sivyer came aboard and got the final out of the inning on a first-pitch fly out. Sivyer retired the side in order in the ninth to seal the victory for the Pioneers.
Robinson went 2-for-5 for the visitors, while Josh Troutman accounted for two hits in the loss.
Prior to the game, both teams observed a moment of silence for those who lost their lives in Wednesday's storm outbreak in the region, including the those who died in Greene County. For those wishing to make a donation may contact the Tusculum Student Affair Office or the Greene County branch of the American Red Cross at (423) 638-6441.
Tusculum will close out the regular season this weekend with a three-game series at the University of Montevallo, beginning with Saturday's 4 p.m. doubleheader.
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