GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Daulton Martin went 6-for-8 with four doubles while Bryson Ford had seven RBI on the day as the Tusculum University baseball team swept a doubleheader over visiting Goldey-Beacom College Sunday at Pioneer Park.
The Pioneers broke a 5-5 tie with five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to win the opener 10-5. Tusculum posted a season-high in run production while Zach Sanders and Colin Johnston combined on a three-hit shutout as TU won the night-cap 19-0.
Since starting the season 1-7, the Pioneers (8-7) have roared back with seven consecutive victories. The two teams will wrap-up the four-game series with Monday's doubleheader starting at noon with a nine-inning contest, followed by a seven-inning game.
Martin's four doubles (2 in each game) gives him 10 on the season which leads the South Atlantic Conference. He also scored eight runs in Sunday's two games as he got on base in eighth of his 12 plate appearances.
Game 1: Tusculum 10, Goldey-Beacom 5
The Pioneers erupted for five runs in the eighth inning including a three-run double by Ford as Tusculum rallied to a 10-5 win in the first game.
TU finished the game with 10 hits including three hits from Martin and two hits apiece from Ford and Nate Montgomery.
Tusculum plated a pair of runs in the first inning as Martin, Ford and Montgomery came up with consecutive singles.
The Lightning responded with four runs in the second as GBC used four walks and a two-run single from Brandon Abdul to take a 4-2 lead off of Tusculum starter Charles Hall.
After Goldey-Beacom starter Mitch Guerrieri retired the Pioneers in order in the bottom of the second, the Lightning added another run in the third as Cole Collins led off with a double and later scored on a double-steal to take a 5-2 advantage.
The Pioneers would scratch away at the deficit scoring one run each in the third, fifth and sixth innings. In the third, Martin reached on a one-out double down the left field line and later scored on Montgomery's clutch two-out single to right field. In the fifth frame, Martin recorded his second double of the day to start the inning and he would come across to score when Trey Hinton drew a bases loaded walk. TU tied the game in the sixth as Seth DeHaven led off with a triple and came into score on Jaden Steagall's squeeze bunt at the plate to knot the score at 5-5.
Tusculum sent nine batters to the plate in the eighth inning as TU scored five unearned runs thanks to a an error and Ford's three-run double off the wall in left field wall that came a foot from being a grand slam. Hinton added a RBI double of his own to give the Pioneers a five-run lead.
Hall could only go five innings as he threw 109 pitches where he allowed five runs (3 earned), four hits, walked six and struck out 11 in the no-decision. TU reliever Andrew Willis (1-2) came aboard and tossed four shutout innings with a career-high eight strikeouts to pick up his first win of the season. Willis allowed two hits and walked none in his 52-pitch effort.
Hall and Willis combined for 19 strikeouts, matching its season-high posted on Feb. 8 at Belmont Abbey. The 19 strikeouts are tied for the third-most in program history.
Abdul finished the game with three hits and two RBI while Cole Collins had two hits for the Lightning.
Game 2: Tusculum 19, Goldey-Beacom 0
Ford went 2-for-4 with a triple and four RBI while Garrett Dupuis drove in four run in TU's 10-run, sixth inning as the Pioneers won 19-0 in Sunday's final game.
Tusculum recorded 13 hits, including seven in the sixth frame where 16 Pioneers went to the plate to put the game out of reach. TU also drew 10 walks including four in the Pioneers' four-run fifth inning.
Martin posted his second 3-hit performance of the day while also scoring four runs each in both games of the doubleheader.
Steagall led off the game with a triple which was followed by a double to center field off the bat of Martin. Martin would come into score thanks to Ford's RBI single. Tusculum loaded the bases in the second for Ford as he tripled to left field to clear the bags for a 5-0 lead for the Black & Orange.
Meanwhile, Sanders was dominant on the mound in his star as he started the game by retiring the first batters, including a stretch of five consecutive strikeouts. Tevin Thomas would spoil his no-hit bid with his double to left field. Sanders would pitch into the sixth inning before the Pioneers erupted for 10 runs in the bottom half of the frame. Johnston took over the seventh where he gave up an infield single before closing out the game with his second strikeout of the night.
Sanders (2-1) scattered two hits, walked one and struck out a career-best eight batters for his second win of the season.
