FOREST CITY, N.C. --- The Tusculum College baseball team rallied from an early deficit as the third-seeded Pioneers defeated No. 4-seed Lincoln Memorial University 4-3 Friday night at McNair Field to advance in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament.
TC starter Placido Torres recorded nine strikeouts, while pitching into the ninth inning before walking the potential tying run with one out. Tusculum closer Devan Watts relieved Torres and on his first pitch, got a game-ending double-play.
The Pioneers (28-16) advance to Saturday's 7:30 p.m. match-up against second-seeded Newberry College. The Railsplitters (24-21) will take on top-seeded Catawba College on Saturday at 3:45 p.m.
Sophomore third baseman John Topoleski went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored. Trailing 3-1, Topoleski pulled the Pioneers to within one with his solo home run to lead-off of the third inning. Topoleski tied the game in the bottom of the fourth frame with a two-out single.
Tusculum senior Vinny Ferrara broke the 3-3 deadlock in the bottom of the sixth with his RBI single to give the Pioneers a 4-3 advantage.
TC got on the board first when junior catcher Jim Tolle led off with a single in the second inning and moved to third base on senior shortstop Chris Waylock's seventh double of the season. Junior first baseman Creighton Wilke drove in Tolle with the game's first run on a sacrifice fly out to center field.
LMU plated three unearned runs in the top of the third inning, including a RBI base hit from Eric Kalman and a 3-1 lead for the Railsplitters.
Torres (7-3) pitched 8 1/3 innings, scattered six hits, three runs, all unearned, walked five and posted nine strikeouts, giving him 96 on the year and establishing a new school single-season record. The save was Watts' eighth of the season, which is one shy of match the program record set by John-Austin Shepard.
LMU starter Brandon Jean (4-4) went the distance as he gave up 10 hits, four runs, no walks and 11 strikeouts.
Waylock finished the game going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while Wilke finished with a pair of hits and a RBI in Tusculum's third win over the Railsplitters this season. Tusculum senior outfielder Andrew Bowerman went 0-for-4 at the plate, ending his 16-game hitting streak and his 25-game run of reaching base safely.
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