SALISBURY, N.C. --- The Tusculum Pioneers scored 11 unanswered runs over the last three innings to erase a 10-2 deficit in a 13-10 win over Lenoir-Rhyne Saturday night at Newman Park in an elimination game of the 2024 South Atlantic Conference Baseball Tournament.
The fourth-seeded Pioneers (26-25) advance to face top-seed and host Catawba on Sunday at 11 a.m. in an elimination game with the winner advancing to Sunday's championship game against No. 5 seed Lincoln Memorial. No. 8 seed Lenoir-Rhyne (30-22) is eliminated from the tournament.
Tusculum scored five times each in the seventh and eighth innings to take its first lead of the night at 12-10.
Zane Keener went 2-for-4 with four RBI including his two-run, two-out single in the eighth which proved to be the game-winners.
TU closer Seth Willis pitched the final 6 2/3 innings and blanked the Bears over the last four frames to secure his sixth victory of the season. The 2024 All-SAC honoree limited LR to three base runners over the final four innings and retired the last five in a row to send Tusculum into Sunday's elimination final of the Salisbury pod.
Trailing 10-2 in the seventh, the Pioneers drew four consecutive walks including Jake Absher with the bases loaded to score its first run of the inning. Will Samuelson hit a one-out single to drive in two more to cut the LR lead to 10-5. Avery Collins singled to right to drive in Absher as the lead was whittled down to 10-6. A wild pitch moved the runners up and Samuelson crossed the plate on Zach Wilson's RBI groundout as TU trailed 10-7.
In the eighth, Ben Scartz and Murphy Flood were each hit by a pitch and Omar Carreras drew a walk to load the bases with no outs. Absher would reach on an infield single as Scartz scored to make it a 10-8 game. After an infield pop-up, Blaze McCauley singled up the middle to make it a one-run contest as the bases remained loaded. Wilson would tie the game with his ground out to third to knot the score at 10-10.
Keener would ground a single through the left side of the infield to bring home Absher and McCauley with the go-ahead scores as Tusculum led 12-10.
The Bears got the lead-off batter aboard with a walk, but Willis got a double-play and followed with a fly out to end the inning.
Tusculum added an insurance run in the ninth, as Scartz led off with a walk, stole second and third and later scored on a wild pitch. Willis retired LR in order in the ninth to close out the game.
The Bears scored the first three runs of the game, plating a pair in the first on Tyler McPeak's two-run double. LR scored an unearned run in the second thanks to Garrett Sanner's base hit.
Tusculum got back to within a run in the third as Wilson led off with a single and Keener followed with a two-run homer to right field. It was his fifth homer of the season and 21st of his career.
The Bears erupted for seven runs over the next three innings including a pair of doubles from Blake Bean and RBI singles from Bryce Stober and Cole Stanford.
Willis allowed three runs on six hits, three walks and recorded three strikeouts in his 108-pitch performance. LR reliever Joshua Lanham (4-4) was tagged with the loss as he went 1 2/3 innings allowing six runs on three this, three walks and fanned two.
Both teams finished the game with 13 hits each as TU's Luis Reyes had a pair of hits including a double, while Samuelson, Collins and Wilson all had two hits apiece. The Pioneers left 13 runners on base while the Bears left seven.
Keener's on-base streak continues as he has reach base safely in 28 consecutive outings. He scored his 164th career run at Tusculum which moves him into sole possession of fourth place in the TU record book.
