GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum College baseball team scored three times in the sixth inning, while relief pitcher John-Austin Shepard tied a school record with his eighth save of the year in the Pioneers' 6-3 win over Young Harris College Wednesday afternoon at Pioneer Park.

Tusculum (22-13) got three hits from Heath Comerford, while reliever T.J. Miller accounted for 3.1 shutout innings in the victory.

The Mountain Lions (15-16) were led at the plate by Zach Bricknell who went 3-for-4, including a double and his Peach Belt Conference-leading 10th home run of the year.

The Pioneers return to action this weekend for a three-game South Atlantic Conference series at Lenoir-Rhyne University starting with Friday's 6 p.m. opener. Young Harris will entertain in-state foe North Georgia on Saturday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader to kick start a three-game PBC weekend set.

Tusculum jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning as the first four Pioneers reached base. Joe Polichetti got things started with a single and legged all the way home from first on Vinny Ferrara's double to the gap in left center. Pat Holleran drew a walk and Jalen Shuffler reached on a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. YHC starter and Knoxville, Tenn. native Travis Donahoo got a pair of infield fly outs against Tripper Crisson and Cade Stallings. But Heath Comerford came up with a clutch two-out single to score Ferrara and Holleran.

The Mountain Lions tied the game with three runs in the fourth inning. Jack Morrow and Dom Wyshinksi drew back-to-back walks against TC starter Cody Poarch to start the frame. Morrow moved to third on a failed pick off attempt at second base by Poarch to put runners on the corners. Tom Valichka laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to drive in Morrow with the YHC's first run of the afternoon. Bricknell knotted the game at 3-3 with his two-run blast over the right field wall.

Tusculum mounted a threat in the fifth inning as the Pioneers loaded the bases with one out. But YHC reliever Taylor Topping, who came aboard earlier in the frame, induced an inning-ending double play to keep the score deadlocked.

The Pioneers broke through in the sixth as TC posted three runs on three hits and a costly YHC error. Bowerman reached on a one-out, infield single. Holleran hit a high chopper off the plate that was fielded by Wyshinski at first, but his throw to second base was off-line. Shuffler was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Crisson drove in Ferrara with the go-ahead run on his fielder's choice. Stallings stepped up with his eighth double of the year, a two-run liner to the leftfield gap to give Tusculum a 6-3 advantage.

Valichka singled up the middle with one out in the eighth inning, bringing Bricknell to the plate in search of his fourth hit of the day. Shepard took the mound as he got the second out on a Bricknell fielder's choice and ended the inning with a strikeout of pinch-hitter Bowen Klosinski.

Shepard retired the side in order in the ninth, including a pair of strikeouts for his SAC-leading eighth save of year, tying the save total he posted in 2012 and Wes Hill's eight saves during the 2006 campaign.

Shepard retired all five batters he would face and recorded three strikeouts. Miller scattered four hits in his 3.1 innings of work to improve his record to 3-1.

Verrara finished with two hits, while recording his fourth outfield assist of the year. Stallings added a pair of hits and two RBI as the Pioneers tallied nine hits on the afternoon.

Young Harris finished with 10 hits, including multi-hit performances by Bricknell, Rogers, Valichka and David Atwood. Topping (1-3) suffered the loss in relief for the Mountain Lions.

- TC -