GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University baseball rallied from a 4-0 deficit to defeat King University 8-7 Tuesday night at Pioneer Park in non-conference action.
The Pioneers (10-7) snap a three-game losing skid while halting the Tornado's three-game winning streak as KU was playing in its fourth game in the last three days.
Tusculum got a two-out, bases-loaded triple by Daulton Martin in a three-run fourth inning and exploded for four runs in the sixth frame.
TU reliever Sam Loew picked up his first win in the Black and Orange and relief pitcher Mitch McCain got the final out of the game with the tying run aboard for his second save of the year.
King used the long-ball to score its first four runs. KU's Junior Renwick hit a solo shot in the first inning and Jarrett Backus blasted a two-out, three-run homer on an 0-2 pitch in the fourth inning to take a 4-0 lead.
Tusculum answered in the bottom of the fourth as the Pioneers loaded the bases with two walks and a hit batter. Martin would follow with his 12th career triple to empty the bases and pull TU to within a run at 4-3. His 12 triples are tied for the fourth most in program history along matching the dozen posted by former Tusculum great Anthony Mercurio (1992-1995).
The Tornado got a run back in the fifth inning with runners on the corners with one out, Loew came aboard in relief of Trent Collins. Loew balked in the runner from third to make it a 5-3 game, but got out of the inning with a strikeout and a ground out.
TU plated a run in the fifth as the Pioneers loaded the bases again as Luis Ezra singled, Fuzzy Furr was hit by a pitch and Brandon Trammell got aboard with a base hit. Trey Hinton made a bid for a grand slam as his deep fly out was hauled in on the warning track but was deep enough to bring home Ezra to make it a one-run game again (5-4).
The Tornado answered again with run in the top of the sixth Backus drove in his fourth RBI of the game with his one-out single and a KU 6-4 lead. In the bottom of the inning, the Pioneers sent nine batters to the plate a Daalen Adderley was hit by a pitch and moved to third on Martin's ground rule double down the right field line. A failed pickoff attempt at third base allowed Adderley to score the inning's first run and move Martin to third. After an infield pop-up, Bryson Ford laid down a bunt single to bring home Martin with the tying run. Ford recorded his seventh stolen base of the year and moved to third on a balk. With two outs, Furr responded with a clutch single to drive in Ford with the go-ahead run. Trammell doubled to the gap in right to plate Furr and an 8-6 Tusculum lead.
Both teams went down in order in the seventh inning, before King plated an unearned run in the eighth to pull within one at 8-7. In the ninth inning, Linton got the first two batters to pop-up but walked Harrison Barger. McCain relieved Linton and got Renwick to fly out to left to end the game.
The Pioneers recorded nine hits with seven walks and four hit batters including two times by Jordan Beaver. TU left 11 runners on base as King finish with seven hits and left only four aboard.
Loew (1-0) went 2.2 innings, allowed one run on one hit with one walk and three strikeouts. Reliever Nic Blankenship suffered the loss for the Tornado to go to 1-1 on the year.
The Pioneers wrap-up its nine-game home-stand where TU went 6-3 and improve to 8-4 at Pioneer Park this season. Tusculum will be on the road for its next seven including this weekend's three-game South Atlantic Conference series at UVa-Wise, beginning with Friday's 4 p.m. opener.
