GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Kyle Williams belted a two-run single in the sixth to drive in the go-ahead runs and Drew Sliwinski closed out the game with three shutout innings to lead the Tusculum baseball team to a 6-4 win over No. 36 Illinois Springfield Sunday afternoon at Pioneer Park.

With the victory, the Pioneers (4-3) salvage a weekend split with the Prairie Stars (2-2) in the four-game set.

Tusculum jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a two-run double by Christian Ortega and a RBI single off the bat of Wes Reynolds.

Meanwhile, TU starter Brice Anders blanked UIS through the first three innings. But the Stars scored two runs in the fourth and Tusculum reliever Tyler Smith surrendered two unearned runs in the fifth as the game was tied at 4-4.

The Pioneers broke the deadlock in the sixth inning as Reynolds was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame and moved to second on Zach Wilson's bunt single. Blaze McCauley bunted Reynolds and Wilson up a base. Cameron Zunkel took over for UIS's reliever Cade Sestak to face Williams, who laced an 0-2 pitch to right field to drive in the go-ahead runs.

Sliwinski came aboard and worked a perfect seventh inning before giving up a lead-off single to All-American first baseman Kal Youngquist. But Sliwinkski got a double-play ground out, followed by an inning-ending strikeout. He worked a perfect ninth to secure his first save of the year.

Tusculum finished the game with eight hits including Ortega's 2-for-3 performance. The pitching trio of Anders, Smith and Sliwinski limited UIS to four hits and recorded a dozen strikeouts against the Prairie Star batters.

Tusculum continues its homestand next weekend when they host nationally-ranked Molloy College at Pioneer Park.