CARROLLTON, Ga. --- The West Georgia baseball team recorded a pair of one-run victories over visiting Tusculum Saturday afternoon at Cole Field.
The Wolves (16-14) scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and had to hold off a last inning rally by the Pioneers as UWG prevailed 6-5 in the opener. In Saturday's second game, West Georgia overcame a one-run deficit in the 10th inning, scoring two times including a walk-off walk by Edgar Cruz for a 7-6 win to complete the doubleheader sweep.
Cruz would finish the day with two RBI with both resulting in the eventual game-winners in both halves of Saturday's twinbill.
West Georgia wins the non-conference weekend series 2-1 in the first recorded meetings with the Pioneers (14-20).
Game 1: West Georgia 6, Tusculum 5
Anthony Calabro went 3-for-4 and sparked a three-run eighth inning with his RBI single as West Georgia won the first game, 6-5. Brody Wortham and Cruz also had three-hit performances as the Wolves out-hit the Pioneers 11-10.
The Tusculum trio of Zane Keener, Will Samuelson and Zach Brunet accounted for two hits each.
The Wolves scored the first run of the day in the bottom of the second as Calabro reached on a two-out single, stole second and scored on Logan Fink's base hit.
Tusculum tied the game in the next frame as Rudy Fernandez led off the third with a double and scored on Keener's single up the middle.
The Wolves would break the tie with a run in the bottom of the fifth as Cruz led off with a single, stole second and scored on Wortham's base hit for a 2-1 UWG lead.
The Pioneers leveled the score with a run in the sixth and took its first lead of the day at 3-2 with a tally in the seventh. In the sixth, Samuelson led off with a walk and later scored on Brunet's sacrifice fly. In the seventh, Ryan Dos Santos led off with a walk, stole second and scored on Samuelson's two-out hit to take the lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, West Georgia took advantage of a pair of hits and a TU fielding error to tie the game at 3-3.
In the UWG eighth, the Wolves scored three runs on a walk, two hits and a hit batter as Calabro broke the tie with his one-out single and later scored on Charlie Tull's sacrifice fly. Cruz made it a 6-3 lead with his two-out triple.
Tusculum made noise in the top of the ninth as Keener reached on a one-out single and Christian Ortega followed with a walk. A wild pitch moved the runners up and on a second wild pitch brought home Keener with the inning's first run. After a flyout, Ryan Kavulick walked and was replaced by pinch runner Britten Robinson. Kyle Williams singled to bring home Ortega to make it a 6-5 game and moved Robinson to third. Williams stole second to put the tying and go ahead runs in scoring position, but Jackson Hodnick got a strikeout to end the game and secure his second save of the season.
Austyn Wright (4-2) picked up the win for the Wolves in relief as he went 2.2 innings, while allowing three runs on three hits, three walks and two strikeouts. Tusculum relief pitcher Drew Sliwinski suffered the loss as he went 3.1 innings, allowed three hits, two runs, one earned, one walk and four strikeouts.
Game 2: West Georgia 7, Tusculum 6 (10 innings)
Logan Fink went 2-for-2 with three RBI, two walks and a home run to lead West Georgia to a 7-6 win in 10 innings.
Tusculum scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th inning when Connor Jurek scored on a two-out throwing error to lead 6-5. But in the bottom of the 10th, Jonathan Logsdon led off with a single against new pitcher Drew Miller. After a failed bunt attempt resulted in the first out of the inning, Collin Moore drew a walk and Calabro followed with a RBI single to bring home Logsdon with a tying run. On the play Moore advance to third, while Calabro moved to second on the throw.
TU reliever Jacob Willett took over and loaded the bases with an intentional walk to Fink to load the bases with one out. Willett struck out Tull for the second out of the inning, but walked Cruz on four straight pitches to bring in the winning run.
Tusculum out-hit the Wolves by a 13-8 margin led by Jurek's 4-for-5 performance, Keener went 3-for-5 while Samuelson and Ezra had two hits apiece.
The Wolves jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning thanks to two hits and two Tusculum errors. The big hit of the inning was a two-out, two-run double by Fink off of TU starter Tyler Harmon.
The Pioneers answered with a run in the second and three in the third to tie the game at 4-4. In the second, Jurek led off with a single and later scored on Brunet's RBI hit. Luis Ezra provide the big knock in the third with his two-run double to right field.
West Georgia regained the lead in the fourth on Fink's lead-off homer to left field, his fourth round-tripper of the season. Tusculum tied the game in the fifth when Samuelson led off with a double and later scored on a UWG throwing error.
Tusculum had a golden opportunity to have a big inning in the top of the seventh as Samuelson and Jurek reached on back-to-back one-out singles. A walk to Ezra loaded the bases to bring in Jack Rasmussen out of the UWG bullpen. He would end the inning on a double play and keep the game tied until the 10th.
Rasmussen (3-2) recorded the win as he pitched the final 3.2 innings, where he allowed an unearned run, two hits and posted three strikeouts. Miller (0-1) was tagged with the loss for the Pioneers.
For Tusculum, Saturday's second game was the sixth extra-inning contest this season, which are tied for the second-most in program history. The 2016 team posted seven extra-inning games, while the 2001 and 2014 clubs had six extra inning affairs each.
Tusculum returns to Pioneer Park on Tuesday to begin a four-game home-stand. TU will host Mars Hill in a midweek non-conference game at 5 p.m. The Pioneers will return to South Atlantic Conference play next weekend when they host Carson-Newman for a three-game series.
