GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Heath Comerford's dramatic three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning capped an improbable comeback in the nightcap as Tusculum split a South Atlantic Conference baseball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Park.
Wingate starter TJ Rinoski tossed a three-hit shutout in a 5-0 Bulldog win in the opener, while Tusculum rallied in the second game with three runs in their final at-bat to win 4-3.
TC (27-16, 16-11 SAC) captures the weekend series two games to one. Coupled with Catawba's three-game sweep at Mars Hill, Wingate finishes a game away from a conference championship. The Pioneers finished third in the league standings.
Tusculum will be the No. 3 seed at next week's Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament, which will be held at McNair Field in Forest City, N.C. The Pioneers are slated to face No. 4 seed Newberry at 7:30 p.m. this Thursday in the six-team, double-elimination tournament format. Tusculum is the defending SAC Tournament Champion.
The Pioneers will first play a make-up game on Monday night against North Greenville at 6 p.m. from Pioneer Park.
Game 1: Wingate 5, Tusculum 0
(Box Score)
Rinoski (6-1) pitched his third complete game of the season and first shutout in Wingate's 5-0 win over the Pioneers.
The Bulldogs pounded out 11 hits, including two each by Eric Serra, Blake Prince and Brad Cherry. Wingate accounted for its offense with a run in the first and two runs each in the fifth and sixth innings.
In the first, Serra led off with a double and scored on Bill Krebs' RBI single. Brian Yeung's hit a two-run homer in the fifth and Jason Hunter posted a two-run blast of his own an inning later to provide all the offense the Bulldogs would need.
Rinoski scattered three hits, four walks and posted one strikeout in his 116-pitch performance.
Tusculum starter Adam Sigmon suffered the loss to even his record at 5-5 on the year.
Game 2: Tusculum 4, Wingate 3
(Box Score)
Comerford connected on his second walk-off hit of the week as he belted his seventh home run of the season down the right field line for a 4-3 victory. He hit the game-winning double in Wednesday's 11-10 extra-inning thriller against Trevecca Nazarene.
It capped a 2-for-2 performance for Comerford, who also drew a pair of walks, while Vinny Ferrara went 3-for-3 as the Pioneers finished with 10 hits in the game.
TC reliever John-Austin Shepard (6-1) earned the win as he went 3.2 innings where he allowed one run, one walk and recorded three strikeouts.
Wingate reliever Brett Morgan (0-1) threw only one pitch to suffer the loss, the home run ball to Comerford.
Tusculum got on the board first in the second inning when Joe Polichetti and Ferrara led off with back-to-back hits. Tripper Crisson legged out a fielder's choice to put runners on the corner. Pat Holleran stepped up and laid down a squeeze bunt down the first base line to drive in Polichetti.
Wingate tied the game in the fourth inning on Krebs lead-off shot to left field, his second round-tripper of the weekend. The Bulldogs would load the bases with one out against starter T.J. Miller. Shepard was brought in and picked up with second out when he fanned Hunter. But Cherry worked a walk out of Shepard to bring home the go-ahead run. Serra added a run with his solo shot to right field and a 3-1 Wingate lead.
In the seventh inning, Andrew Bowerman led off with a single and moved to second on Trey Drewery's groundout. Cade Stallings drew a walk to put two runners aboard to set the table for Comerford's heroics.
Wingate starter Olen Little pitched well as he went five innings, allowed a run on six hits, two walks and two strikeouts. Miller pitched 3.1 innings in his second start of the year as he scattered four hits, two runs, two walks and two strikeouts.
Krebs went 4-for-4 for the Bulldogs, while Prince posted his second two-hit performance of the day.
- TC -
