GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum Pioneers pounded out a dozen hits, including five of the extra base variety as TC defeated visiting Bellarmine 9-1 Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Park in game two of a three-game weekend series.
Tusculum starting pitcher Ethan Carpenter (1-0) threw 6.1 stellar innings, scattered eight hits, allowed a run, walked one and struck out eight for his first win of 2017.
Dante Key had the hot bat once again as he went 3-for-4 with three RBI including his two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the second inning to give TC all the offense it would need. In yesterday's series opener, Key went 2-for-3 with a home run in Tusculum's 6-5 come-from-behind victory.
TC added another run in the fourth inning on Key's one-out single to put the Pioneers ahead 3-0.
In the top of the fifth inning, Carpenter got out of a tough spot as the Knights (1-4) put runners on the corners with no outs. But Carpenter struck out the next three batters to end the threat.
In the bottom of the fifth, redshirt freshman John Bennett made his first collegiate one to remember as he homered to left field with Jeremy Glore aboard for a 5-0 Tusculum lead. TC added another run on Daulton Martin's two-out, RBI double to center as the Pioneers led 6-0.
Bellarmine scratched a run in the seventh inning as Alex Ralph led off with his second straight double and scored on Duncan Amrein's sacrifice fly out. Carpenter walked to put two runners on base as TC went to the bullpen and reliever McKenly Berry. Berry stopped the threat with a ground out and a strikeout. He would log 2.2 innings, allowed one hits and struck out five of the nine batters he would face.
TC added three more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on Glore's three-run blast to right field. He finished the contest going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI. TC also got multiple hit performances from Martin and senior John Topoleski.
The Knights finished with nine hits, including two hits apiece from Alex Phillips, Brady Pfaadt and Alex Ralph.
The two teams will wrap up the weekend series with Sunday's nine-inning game at 1 p.m.
