GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Cade Stallings led the Tusculum College offense, while the Pioneer bullpen limited Young Harris College to one run over the last eight innings as the 13th-ranked Pioneers defeated the Mountain Lions 10-3 Tuesday (March 20) evening at Pioneer Park.
Tusculum, which improved to 24-5, rattled off 16 safeties as every starter recorded at least a hit, led by Stallings' 3-for-5 performance. Young Harris, which dropped to 19-8, recorded 11 hits on the evening, but left a dozen runners on base. Young Harris returns to action Wednesday (March 21) when they host Mars Hill College in a 4 p.m. doubleheader at Zell B. Miller Field.
The Mountain Lions, who entered the night winners of five of their last six, jumped out on top with two runs in the first inning off starter Zeke McGranahan. Mike Medori led off with a single and moved to third on the first of two doubles by Trey Rogers. David Atwood singled home Medori from third. On an errant pickoff throw to first base, Rogers would score and Atwood would go to second base. Jack Morrow reached on a fielding error to put runners at first and second with no outs, but McGranahan worked out of the jam with three straight outs.
In the top of the second inning, Young Harris threatened again as Dom Wyshinski led off with a walk. Reliever Billy Sivyer came in for McGranahan and got out of trouble with a line out, a strikeout and a ground out to keep it a two-run deficit.
The Pioneers scored four runs in the bottom of the second as eight batters went to the plate against YHC starter Josh Rudnik (4-1) to take a 4-2 lead. Matt Henriksen led off with a walk and Carlos Santana tripled off the right field wall. Santana tied the game when he scored on Heath Comerford's RBI single through the right side. Tripper Crisson bunted Comerford and into scoring position and he later moved to third on Graves' base hit. With runners on the corners, Aaron Guinn drove in Comerford with his fly out to center field. Graves would steal second and moved to third on an errant throw. Stallings would drive in Graves with the fourth run with his single.
TC added another run in the fourth inning as Graves drew a lead-off walk to chase Rudnik out of the game. Guinn singled to move Graves to second and Stallings posted his second RBI of the night with his base hit to left.
Young Harris would post a run in the fifth inning on Adam Moore's sacrifice fly, but that would be all the offense they could muster for the rest of the night.
Tusculum added two unearned runs in the fifth inning thanks to a Mountain Lion error, a double by Comerford and a RBI fly out from Graves and a Guinn two-out single. Tusculum added three insurance runs in the eighth thanks to back-to-back doubles by Alexi Colon and Cody Coffman to put the game out of reach.
Sivyer (2-1) picked up the victory as he went four innings, allowed three hits, a run, one walk and one strikeout. The Pioneer bullpen trio of Justin Carter, Michael Franklin and John-Austin Shepard combined for four shutout innings.
