GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Senior Zach Brunet went 5-for-8 on the day with five RBI as the Tusculum University baseball team split a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader with Anderson University Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Park on Senior Day.
Tusculum won the first game 19-10 before Anderson claimed the night-cap 5-2 to claim the weekend series, 2-1.
With Saturday's split, Tusculum punches its ticket for next week's SAC Tournament as the Pioneers (25-22, 11-13 SAC) finished tied for eighth in the league standings with Limestone University with identical 11-13 SAC records. TU wins the tiebreaker by virtue of winning two of three games over the Saints. Anderson (24-24, 12-11 SAC) will also advance to the SAC Tournament.
Game 1: Tusculum 19, Anderson 10
Saturday's first game had everything including a successful marriage proposal as the Pioneers prevailed 19-10.
Senior outfielder Murphy Flood went 2-for-4, hit a three-run homer, and got an affirmative answer of his marriage proposal prior to the opener. Flood got on base four times with a single, two walks and his three-run blast in the third inning to cap a six-run frame for the Black & Orange.
Brunet posted four hits in the game including two doubles, a single and a three-run homer in the fifth as the Pioneers put the game away.
Tusculum finished the game with 18 hits including three doubles and four home runs. TU also drew a season-high 11 walks in the victory.
Starting pitcher Luke Abner pitched seven strong innings to improve to 4-2 on the year. He scattered six hits, five runs two walks and seven strikeouts in his 116-pitch performance. Anderson starter Nathan Sanders (4-4) suffered the loss for the Trojans.
Senior Rudy Fernandez posted three hits, while Ben Scartz, Tyler Ranel, Christian Ortega and Flood all had two-hit outings.
The Trojans accumulated a dozen hits including two-hit efforts by Kye Andress, Carlos Hernandez, Jordan Montgomery and Kevin Sosa.
Tusculum scored four runs in the second inning including Ortega's eighth homer of the season to lead things off.
Anderson scored three runs in the third inning as the Trojans opened the frame with five consecutive this including back-to-back doubles and three straight singles.
TU responded with six runs in the bottom of the third as 10 Pioneers went to the plate to make it a 10-3 score. Anderson scored twice in the fourth, but four runs in the bottom of the fourth and three more in the fifth moved the Pioneers into a 17-5 advantage.
The two teams combined for 29 runs and 30 hits in Saturday's first game.
Game 2: Anderson 5, Tusculum 2
As much as the offenses were on display in the opener, the weekend finale proved to be a pitchers' duel. Anderson's Austin Mercado pitched a seven-inning complete game gem as the Trojans prevailed 5-2.
Mercado allowed two runs in the first inning but gave up only three singles the rest of the way to improve to 7-1 on the season and record his second complete game of 2023. He didn't allow a base runner past first base for the final six innings and retired 10 in a row at one point in the victory.
Mercado allowed two runs on seven hits, zero walks and six strikeouts.
Tusculum starter Seth Willis (6-4) also pitched his second complete game of the year, allowing five runs on 11 hits, one walk and four strikeouts.
The Pioneers got RBI singles from Ranel and Flood in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. The Trojans rallied in the third as Brayden Owens belted a solo home run and later in the inning, Andress clubbed a two-run shot to put the visitors ahead, 3-2.
AU added a run in the fourth and another in the fifth to increase its lead to 5-2.
Montgomery led the Trojans with his 3-for-4 performance, while Hernandez, Owens and Anthony Pandolfi all had two hits apiece. Ortega was the lone Pioneer with two hits in the contest.
The bracket and seeding for next week's opening weekend of the SAC Tournament will be announced Sunday when regular-season play has concluded.
