Sunday, February 17, 2008

BEARS EDGE NO. 6 TUSCULUM 11-10, L-R SWEEPS SERIES

HICKORY, N.C. --- The Lenoir-Rhyne College baseball team (3-7, 3-0) held off a furious rally to defeat No. 6 Tusculum College (5-5, 0-3), 11-10, to complete a three-game South Atlantic Conference weekend series sweep Sunday afternoon at Bears Field.  Tusculum is ranked sixth in the latest NCAA Division II Collegiate Baseball Poll.

With the Bears ahead 11-4 after eight innings of play, the Pioneers scored six runs in the top of the ninth inning to cut the margin to one (11-10) before L-R sophomore Evan Taylor (Charlotte, N.C./Independence HS) ended the game with an outstanding catch deep in right field with the bases loaded to preserve the win.

Tusculum jumped out to a 2-0 advantage in the top of the first inning before Lenoir-Rhyne responded with five runs in the bottom half of the first that included an RBI double by Taylor.

Lenoir-Rhyne maintained its advantage throughout the game and appeared to take complete control with four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning highlighted by freshman catcher Brian Dice’s (Hickory, N.C./Western Carolina Univ.) two-run single for the seven-run advantage.

Tusculum’s six-run ninth inning included two-run singles by Sean Cotten (Mooresville, N.C.) and Payden Houser (Lincolnton, N.C.) but the rally fell short thanks to Taylor’s heroics.

Sophomore Justin Crowell (New London, N.C./North Stanly HS) improved to 1-2 with the win after allowing just three earned runs over eight innings to go along with seven strikeouts while Tusculum’s Tio McLean (Laurel Hill, N.C.) fell to 1-1 with the loss.  Senior Jesse Beane (Collettsville, N.C./West Caldwell HS) picked up the save for the Bears.

Dice led the Bears with two hits and three RBI while Cotten had two hits and three runs batted in as well for the Pioneers, who lost despite totaling 20 hits in the game.

Lenoir-Rhyne next travels to Belmont, N.C., to face Belmont Abbey Tuesday at 2 p.m., while Tusculum returns home to face league-foe Lincoln Memorial Friday at 7 p.m.

- TC -