BRISTOL, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University baseball team overcame a 9-5 deficit scoring eight unanswered runs including seven in the final two innings as the Pioneers posted a 13-9 win at King University Tuesday afternoon.

Tusculum (17-6) records its first road victory of 2023 and snaps a seven-game road losing streak dating back to last season. TU's last win on the road came at King on Apr. 19, 2022 as the Pioneers prevailed in a wild 15-14 contest. Tuesday's win also avenges last month's 6-5 loss to the Tornado (9-11) in Greeneville.

Tyler Ranel went 3-for-5 for the Pioneers and scored three runs including the game-winner in the top of the ninth on Zane Keener's two-out single. Tusculum scored four times in the ninth, all with two outs with the big knock of the frame coming on Murphy Flood's three-run double to give the Pioneers a four-run cushion heading to the bottom of the inning.

Tusculum closer Jacob Willett retired the side in order in the ninth as he improves to 2-0 on the season.

The Pioneers finished the game with 14 hits as with the top-six in the lineup all having multiple-hit games.

Ben Scartz, Christian Ortega, Darien Farley, Keener and Flood all finished with two hits apiece.

King accounted for 15 hits on the afternoon led by Junior Renwick's 4-for-5 performance.

Tusculum jumped out to a 4-0 lead as Ortega and Farley each blasted a two-run homer in the first inning. It was Ortega's third home run of the season and Farley's first in a TU uniform.

The Tornado answered four runs of their own in their first at bat, highlighted by Chase Hilliard's game-tying two-run single.

King took its first lead of the game in the second inning when Wes Bonney lined a two-out, two-run single up the middle for a 6-4 advantage for the home team.

Tusculum cut the deficit in half in the third as Scartz got aboard with a single, moved to second on a balk and scored on Ortega's team-leading ninth double of the year. King got the run back in the bottom of the frame on Mason Swartz's two-out double.

The Tornado recorded three straight hits to start the fourth inning including a two-run triple off the bat of Davis Hall to extend the lead to 9-5. But Hall was stranded on third when TU reliever Jonathan Nelson collected himself and got a pair of ground outs and a fly out to end the inning and limit the damage.

From there, Nelson pitched brilliantly and blanked the Tornado for the next 4.1 innings while scattering three singles.

Meanwhile, Tusculum chipped away at the four-run deficit scoring once in the sixth inning and tied the game with a three-run eighth. In the eighth, Ranel reached on an error and Keener followed with base hit. Scartz doubled down the left field line to drive in Ranel and moved Keener to third base. Ortega recorded his fifth RBI of the game with a ground out and Scartz scored on a wild pitch to even the score at 9-9.

Entering his sixth inning of relief, Nelson ran into trouble in the bottom of the eighth as Garret Huffman led off with a single and moved to second on a bunt to represent the go-ahead run. Willett took over and got an infield popup before surrendering an infield hit to put runners on the corners. Willett ended the jam with a ground out as the game went to the ninth.

King reliever Michael Cordova took over in the ninth and got the first two batters to fly out as he faced Ranel. The Tusculum centerfielder hit a tower fly ball to left center where it hit off the fence as he motored into third base with his second triple of the year. Keener followed with a single down the line in left to give TU its first lead since the first inning. Scartz drew a walk and Ortega reached on a fielding error to load the bases for Flood.

Flood cleared the bases with his seventh double of the season as Tusculum led 13-9. Willett closed out the win as he recorded a strikeout, a ground out and a fly out.

Willett tossed 1.2 shutout innings where he allowed a hit. Nelson gutted out six innings, allowed three runs on nine hits, one walk and two strikeouts in his 69-pitch effort.

Tusculum returns home on Wednesday for a 4 p.m. non-conference game against South Atlantic Conference newcomer Emory & Henry.