GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University baseball team got some stellar pitching performances as the Pioneers split a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader with Catawba College Sunday afternoon at Pioneer Park.
In the opener, Jake Absher's two-run homer in the sixth inning proved to be the game-winner as Tusculum (6-7, 3-2 SAC) prevailed 4-2. In the second game, Catawba (9-4, 1-1 SAC) plated a pair of runs in the top of the seventh to rally to a 3-2 win in the night-cap to salvage the split.
The two teams will play the third and deciding game of the series on Monday beginning at 1 p.m.
Game 1: Tusculum 4, Catawba 2
Jake Absher went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI, while his brother and starting pitcher Luke Absher (1-0) pitched six strong innings to secure the victory in Tusculum's 4-2 win in the series opener with Catawba.
Zane Keener led off the bottom of the first with his solo blast over the right field wall for his second home run of the year.
The Catawba Indians took their first lead of the game with a two-run frame in the third. Levi Perrell and Dylan Driver led off with back-to-back singles. Both moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Perrell scored from third on Bo Rusher's ground out and Driver plated the go-ahead run on Cole Hales' two-out single as Catawba led 2-1.
The score remained that way until the bottom of the sixth when Zach Wilson led off with a single and Jake Absher followed with his one-out, two-run homer to left field as the Pioneers went on top, 3-2.
In the seventh, Catawba threatened as Drew Robertson got aboard with a lead-off single. Seth Willis took over on the mound for Luke Absher and recorded three straight outs to get out of the inning.
Tusculum added an insurance run in the seventh as Luis Reyes drew a one-out walk, and later scored on Ben Scartz's sacrifice fly as TU led 4-2.
Catawba made some noise again in the eighth as the Indians had runners on the corners with one out. TU closer Drew Sliwinski took over and ended the threat with a strikeout and a line out.
Sliwinski retired the side in order in the ninth to record his third save of the season.
Luke Absher scattered seven hits, allowed two runs, one walk and struck out four in his 91-pitch effort. Willis and Sliwinski blanked Catawba for the final two frames.
Indians' starter Austin Fine (2-1) suffered the loss as he went 5.2 innings, allowed five hits, three runs and posted two strikeouts.
Tusculum got two-hit performances from Wilson, Murphy Flood and Jake Absher, while Purrell, Hales and Cooper Bryson each posted two hits apiece.
Game 2: Catawba 3, Tusculum 2
Catawba recorded four of its seven hits in the seventh inning including Robertson's game-winning, two out RBI single as the Indians edged Tusculum 3-2 in Sunday's second contest.
Tusculum starter Brady Salyards deserved a better fate as he pitched into the seventh holding onto a 2-1 lead. He got the first out of the inning before Hales reached on an infield single. Catawba's Logan Rogers lifted a fly ball to shallow right center where the Tusculum defense converged but weren't able to make the out.
With runners at first and second, Ty Hubbard singled through the right side to bring home Hales with the tying run. After a fly out moved pinch-runner Zeb Burns from second to third, Robertson stepped up and singled to the gap in left field to drive in the go-ahead run.
Hales came onto make his second relief performance of the day and retired the side in order including a a pair of strikeouts to end the game and record his first save of the year.
Salyards (1-1) suffered the loss as he went 6.2 innings, allowed seven hits, three runs, zero walks and seven strikeouts. Catawba reliever Mason Gwyn (1-0), who pitched a perfect sixth inning, earned the win.
Salyards started the game on fire as he retired the first nine batters of the game. Meanwhile, Tusculum jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third, sparked by a Keener RBI single and a Catawba error.
In the top of the fourth, Perrell became Catawba's first baserunner as he doubled off the left field wall. He moved to third on a ground out and scored on Sam Hunter's sacrifice fly.
Catawba threatened again in the top of the sixth when Robertson hit a one-out double, moved to third on Perrell's single. Bryson laid down a suicide squeeze, but Salayard scooped the ball with his glove and shoveled it to catcher Blaze McCauley who applied the tag to Robertson for the second out of the inning. With Perrell at second, the Pioneers got the final out of the inning as third baseman Max Schmarder made a catch on a foul ball on the edge of the Catawba dugout.
Purrell and Robertson each had two hits, while Keener accounted for two of Tusculum's seven hits.
