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Sunday, April
17, 2005
TUSCULUM COMPLETES
SWEEP WITH 6-3 WIN OVER BLUE HOSE
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The No. 27 Tusculum College
baseball team completed the weekend series sweep over
Presbyterian College, 6-3 Sunday afternoon at Pioneer Park and
claimed a share of its first-ever South Atlantic Conference
Championship. The Pioneers' victory, coupled with Mars
Hill's 5-1 win over No. 17 Catawba, moves TC in a tie for
first place on the final day of the conference season.
Tusculum (34-12, 14-6) also tied a school record for most wins
in a season as Eric Butler posted a solid pitching
effort going 7.2 innings where he scattered three hits,
allowed two runs, one earned, walked three and struck out six.
The Pioneers got multi-hit performances from Josh Wolff,
George Hanger and Greg Stotser. But with
Tusculum leading just 3-2 in the eighth inning, Matt Webb
came through with the biggest hit of the game when he posted a
two-run double, giving TC some insurance heading into the
final frame.
Presbyterian starter Zach Matthews
(2-6) was the hard-luck loser as he pitched well in his
complete game effort. Matthews allowed nine hits, six
runs, three earned, walked four and fanned five.
Matthews held Tusculum at-bay for most of the game, retiring
10 consecutive batters at one point.
The Blue Hose got on the scoreboard first in the top of the
second inning when Lance
Howard recorded his 19th double of the
season and later scored on Matt Sparrow's two-out
single. Tusculum evened the score at 1-1 in the bottom
of the frame, but could have been more as the Pioneers loaded
the bases with no outs. Matthews got Adam Hicks
to ground into a double play, allowing just the lone run in
the inning.
TC took its first lead of the day in the third inning when
Wolff singled, went second on a walk to Skip Talarek and both
moved up a base on a double steal. Hanger next drew a
walk, but on ball four, Wolff came into score on a wild pitch.
The Pioneers added another run in the fourth inning Stotser
led off with a single, stole second and scored on a throwing
error.
Presbyterian cut the deficit in half at 3-2 in the eighth
inning as Nick Hoffner was hit by a pitch to lead off the
frame and scored on a fielding error on Matt Bodie's fly ball
to right field. With the tying run at second, TC
reliever Wes Hill came on to get the final out of the inning.
In the bottom of the eighth, Tusculum took advantage three
hits and a pair of PC errors to score three times, including a
double to deep center field by Webb. Hill pitched the
ninth inning surrendering an unearned run to post his sixth
save of the season.
Lunnen finished the day going 2-for-3 and scored a run for the
Blue Hose.
Both teams will be in action on Thursday at Pioneer Park for
the 2005 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Baseball
Tournament, host by Tusculum College. Official pairings
and seeding will be announced by the league office this week.
Box
Score
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