Sunday,
March
11, 2001
PIONEERS
CLAIM SERIES WITH 11-10 WIN OVER BLUE HOSE
GREENEVILLE, TN -- Casey Taylor batted 2-for-5, including an RBI single in the eighth inning to drive in the winning run as Tusculum College defeated Presbyterian College 11-10 Sunday afternoon at Pioneer Park in South Atlantic Conference baseball action. The Pioneers take two of the three games to win the weekend series and improve their record to 14-11 overall and 2-3 in the league. The Blue Hose even their overall mark at 13-13, 2-3 in the SAC.
The lead changed hands four times, while both squads combined
for nine errors, including a season-high six miscues by
Presbyterian. The Blue Hose jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the
opening frame when PC's first five batters reached base on
only two hits as TC committed a pair of errors to begin the
game. The Pioneers
plated a run in the bottom of the inning as PC also committed
a pair of miscues themselves. Each
team scored a run in the second to make the score 5-2
PC.
Tusculum responded with two runs in the third inning and three
in the fourth to take their first lead at 7-5.
Mike Klossner scored from first base on a throwing
error on Trevor Adams' ground ball.
Steven Darnell drove home Adams with his RBI single.
Jose' Martinez single moved Darnell to third and later
scored on Shane Banks' sacrifice fly. But Presbyterian didn't wait long to answer as
they scored three runs in the next inning.
TC starter Evan Weinstein retired the first two
batters, but a walk and three consecutive hits, including
doubles by Matt Warren and Davis
Rice moved the Blue Hose ahead again at 8-7.
Tusculum knotted the contest at 8-8 in the bottom of the inning on Mike Klossner's RBI double to right field. The Pioneers retook the lead in the seventh inning as they plated two runs without the aid of a hit. Joe Davis reached on an error and moved to second base when Michael Holt was hit by a pitch.
Scott Reames attempted to bunt both runners over, but he
popped up to third basemen Davis Rice.
Rice caught the ball and attempted to double up Holt at
first but his throw was high and sailed into foul territory,
allowing Davis to score and Holt to advance to third. Klossner
drove in Holt on his sacrifice fly to move the Pioneers up
10-8.
But the Blue Hose wouldn't go away as they tied the game up
for a third time with two in the eighth frame.
Rice rebounded with a leadoff single and moved to
second on a groundout. Brian
Grimm drew a walk and both runners moved up a base on a
Justin Aldridge wild pitch. With two outs James
Gritter and Chris
Turco recorded back-to-back RBI singles to tie the contest
at 10-10. In the Tusculum eighth inning with Jose' Martinez at
second base, Taylor came through with the clutch hit, a single
up the middle to break the deadlock. In the ninth inning,
Aldridge retired PC in order including a strikeout of
pinch-hitter Heath
McCutcheon to end the game.
Aldridge (1-2) picked up his first win of the season throwing
the last two innings, while PC reliever Mike
Noble falls to 0-2 on the season. Presbyterian was led by
Chris Turco and Davis Rice who each recorded three hits each
in the loss.
The Pioneers, who have won five of their last six games will
be off this week as they prepare to travel to SAC foe Newberry
College for a three-game series next weekend.
Presbyterian will close out their Tennessee road swing as they will be at Milligan College on Monday for a 2:00 p.m. contest.