YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. --- Tusculum University scored 10 runs with two outs in the top of the 11th inning as the Pioneers won 16-10 at Young Harris College Tuesday afternoon at Zell Miller Field in a non-conference baseball contest.
The two teams combined for 26 runs, 30 hits and 25 runners left on base in the battle of Southeast Region foes. Tusculum improves to 3-1 on the season while the Mountain Lions fall to 2-2 on the year.
TU catcher Chase Wullenweber went 3-for-6 and drove in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning with his two-out single. The Pioneers would total seven hits in the frame to give the visitors 17 on the afternoon. Young Harris committed five errors as all 16 runs scored by Tusculum were unearned.
Young Harris got a RBI double from Noah Fitzgerald to take a 1-0 lead in the opening frame. Tusculum answered in the top of the third when Luis Ezra belted a grand slam to right field to give the Pioneers a 4-1 advantage.
Meanwhile, TU starter Dosie Drakeford rebounded from a shaky first inning and blanked the Mountain Lions until the fifth as Southeast Region Player of the Week Tucker Greer doubled home YHC's second run to trim the deficit to 4-2.
TU's Keegan Ernest took over in the sixth and worked around a lead-off walk with a fly out and a double play to end the inning. He ran into trouble in the seventh as pinch hitter John Miller came through with a two-out double to drive home Rome Wallace. Ernest got a fly out to end the threat and preserve the 4-3 lead.
Tusculum had a chance to blow the game open in the top of the eight as Wullenweber led off with a single, Kyle Williams bunted him over and Daulton Martin followed with a single to move Wullenweber to third, but Martin was thrown out at second base for the second out of the inning. A walk to Bryson Ford put runners on the corners, but YHC's Levi Ayers got a strikeout of Brandon Trammell to end the inning and preserve the one-run deficit.
YHC threatened in the bottom of the eighth as Fitzgerald led off with a single. Jones flied out and Cash fouled out. Bailey Campbell hit a single down the right field line to move Fitzgerald third. TU reliever Trent Collins took over for Corey Binion as he threw a wild pitch to move Underwood to second and followed with a walk to Wallace to load the bases. Collins got out of trouble as Ayers fouled out to end the inning.
In the top of the ninth, Ezra recorded his third hit of the day with a lead-off single and moved to second when Daalen Adderley reached on an error on his bunt. Murphy Flood fouled out and Jaden Steagall struck out to bring up Wullenweber with two outs. He came through again with a two-run double down the left field line to give TU some insurance and a 6-3 lead heading to the bottom of the ninth.
But it wouldn't be enough as pinch-hitter Mark Castle drew a lead-off walk and Miller followed with a two-run blast to left field to make it a 6-5 game. Greer tied the game at 6-6 with his solo blast to left for his fourth round-tripper of the young season.
Harbor Jefferson relieved Trevor Lloyd who started the ninth and retired three in a row to end the frame and send the game to extra innings.
The Pioneers went down in order in the top of the 10th. Ethan Underwood led off the YHC half with a double, but Jefferson retired the next three straight including a pair of strikeouts to send the game to the 11th.
Trey Hinton led off with a single for the Pioneers and moved to second when Daalen Adderley reached on an error on his bunt. Murphy Flood struck out and Jaden Steagall flied out. Wullenweber was clutch again with his two-out single to center to drive in the go-ahead run. Martin followed with a two-run single and the flood gates opened as nine more TU batters would reach before Martin lined out to end the inning as TU led 16-6.
The Mountain Lions battled in the 11th and scratched four runs on three hits and a TU error, but the Pioneers got a ground out to end the game which last four hours and 26 minutes.
The Pioneers utilized seven pitchers while Young Harris used 13 hurlers in the loss. Tusculum, who drew 15 walks in Sunday's series finale win over Indianapolis, followed with 11 bases on balls against Young Harris.
Ezra went 3-for-3 with five RBI as his grand slam was the second of his TU career, hitting one last season at Lynn University. Flood, Martin and Hinton all finished with two hits apiece, while Kyle Williams had a single and three walks.
Jefferson (1-0) picked up the victory as he tossed two shutout innings while McLain Harris (1-1) suffered the loss.
Greer led Young Harris with his 3-for-5 day, while Underwood, Fitzgerald and Miller had two hits apiece.
The Pioneers will open South Atlantic Conference play this weekend when they host UVA Wise for a four-game series beginning with Saturday's 2 p.m. doubleheader.
