Saturday, March 10, 2001

PIONEERS & BLUE HOSE SPLIT SAC DOUBLEHEADER

GREENEVILLE, TN -- The Tusculum College baseball team mustered 24 hits in the opening game of a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader, but could only manage a split with visiting Presbyterian College Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Park.   The Pioneers (13-11, 1-3 SAC) recorded the season-high hit tally in their 18-4 victory over the Blue Hose.  But in the night-cap, PC hurler Kevin Felts tossed a two-hit shutout as the Blue Hose triumphed 2-0.

GAME ONE: Tusculum 18, Presbyterian 4

In the opener, senior pitcher Shane Banks dominated on the mound and at the plate as TC notched it's first league win of the season.  Banks (4-3) pitched eight innings of three-run, seven-hit baseball.  But with the bat, Banks helped his own cause by going 4-for-6, including a pair of doubles and his fifth home run of the season.  It was also Banks' 16th career home run, moving himself into second place all-time in TC history in that category.  Banks also tied a career-high with six RBI in the game. Jose' Martinez batted 4-for-5 and tied a SAC record for runs scored in a game with five, matching the mark set by Carson-Newman's Curt Willis in 1991. 

Casey Taylor and Vince Stonesifer each accounted for three hits each, while Steven Darnell, Michael Holt and Mike Klossner also posted multi-hit games. Tusculum led off the first inning with three straight hits with all coming across to score for an early 3-0 TC lead.  The Blue Hose answered with a run in the top of the second when Matt Warren led off with a double and scored on Tombo Hite's sacrifice fly to make the score 3-1.  But TC moved it out to a 5-1 advantage when Martinez led off with an infield single and came across to score on Banks' two-run homer to right.  Tusculum added four runs in the fifth frame with the big hit coming on Vince Stonesifer's three-run shot over the left field wall.

Presbyterian's Chris Turco posted three hits, including a triple and a home run. PC's Davis Rice also registered three hits in the loss. The 24 hits by the Pioneers are a season high and the third most ever by a South Atlantic Conference team.  Catawba accounted for 26 hits in a single-game in 1993 as well as last season.  

Box Score

GAME TWO: Presbyterian 2, Tusculum 0

As much as the first game was a Tusculum offensive explosion, the second was a pitcher's dual between the PC's Kevin Felts and the Pioneers' Danny Woodbury. PC posted their first run in the third inning when sophomore catcher Dusty New led off with a solo homer to left center for a 1-0 lead. The Blue Hose added an insurance run in the top of the fifth inning, with their second hit of the contest, when Chris Turco singled home Brian Grimm. 
Felts was cruising along with a no-hitter heading into the fifth, but Mike Klossner spoiled it with a one-out single.  Trevor Adams moved Klossner to third with his seventh double of the season.  Darnell reached on a fielders to load the bases, but Felts got out of the jam when Martinez grounded into a double-play to end the inning.  After that, Felts retired the last six batters in a row to end the game. Felts walked two and fanned six as he improves his record to 5-0 and his first complete game of the season.  Woodbury allowed three hits, two runs, walked four and fanned six as he evens his record at 1-1.

Box Score

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