GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum used a pair big innings as the Pioneers led wire-to-wire en route to a 15-3 win in seven innings over visiting Lenoir-Rhyne Sunday afternoon in South Atlantic Conference baseball action.
The Pioneers (15-11, 10-5 SAC) sent 10 batters to the plate in a six-run second inning and 11 Pioneers to the dish in a seven-run fifth frame as TU won the rubber match to claim the series win over the Bears (16-12, 5-7 SAC). Tusculum has won four of its five league series and move into a tie for second place in the league standings.
All nine Tusculum hitters reached base in the game with eight of them recording a hit as TU posted 14 hits on the afternoon.
TU starting pitcher Brice Anders pitched masterfully throughout the game to improve to 5-1 on the season. In his 103-pitch outing, the junior right-hander scattered three hits, allowed two runs, one earned, walked three and struck out three in his six innings on the mound.
Freshman Jake Absher recorded four RBI and posted a pair of doubles while celebrating his birthday. Senior Zane Keener went 3-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored, while senior Ben Scartz went 3-for-4 while scoring three runs and tallied two RBI. Senior Kayl Ratliff added two hits and scored two runs, while senior Blaze McCauley scored twice and started TU's seven-run outburst in the fifth with his lead-off single.
Tusculum jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning as Keener and Scartz led off with back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners. Scartz stole second and a wild pitch moved him to third while Keener scored the game's first run. Absher would ground out to bring home Scartz with the second run.
LR cut the deficit in half with an unearned run in the second inning. Sal Carricato reached on a two-base throwing error and later scored on Bryce Stober's sacrifice fly.
Tusculum responded in the bottom of the frame as McCauley was hit by a pitch, moved to third on Kayl Ratliff's hit-and-run. With runners on the corners again, Luis Reis put down a squeeze bunt to the right side which he legged out for a single and driving home McCauley. Keener came up with his second hit of the game as he belted his seventh double of the season to drive in a run and move Reyes to third base. A passed ball moved Keener to third and scored Reyes. Scartz singled up the middle to drive in Keener to make it a 6-1 contest. Murphy Flood reached on an error to put runners on the corners for a third time in the game. Absher belted the first of two doubles to drive home a pair as TU led 8-1 after two innings.
In the top of the fourth, LR shortstop Zach Evans led off with a triple off the left field wall and scored on Stober's ground out. Later in the inning, the Bears got two more runners aboard with two outs, but Flood made a sensational catch in foul territory to end the threat.
Anders retired the sides in order in the fifth and sixth innings to wrap up his day. Meanwhile, the Pioneers put the game out of reach with seven runs in the fifth inning. Keener had a two-run single, while Flood drove in two RBI with his fourth double of 2024.
Tusculum returns to action on Tuesday, hosting Emory & Henry in a midweek, non-conference game beginning at 4 p.m. (please note the new start time).
