Saturday, March 29, 2008

TUSCULUM, LIMESTONE SPLIT BASEBALL TWIN-BILL

GAFFNEY, S.C. --- Tusculum and Limestone split a non-conference baseball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Bob Prevatte Field. Christian Rosa hit two home runs and Boo Morrow pitched a four-hit shutout as the Pioneers won the opener 8-0. In the second game, the Saints plated seven runs in the third inning and eight more in the fourth as Limestone won the night-cap 17-7.

Game 1: Tusculum 8, Limestone 0

Morrow (4-0) recorded his first collegiate shutout while Tusculum first four batters collected 11 of its 12 hits en route to an 8-0 win over the Saints.

Rosa went 2-for-4 with three RBI, including his seventh and eight home runs of the year, while Carlos Rivera added a 3-for-5 effort, including his fifth homer of 2008. Maikol Gonzalez, Matt Webb and Eric Conley each posted two hits in the victory.

Morrow enjoyed a career-outing as he went nine innings, scattered four hits, walked one and struck out eight as he remains undefeated in his career (7-0).

Rosa got things started as he led off the game with a home run, the fourth time he has accomplished that feat this season. Rivera and Gonzalez followed with back-to-back singles and both would come into score via a Webb ground out and a single by Conley.

TC added two more tallies in the third and three more in the ninth thanks to back-to-back homers by Rosa and Rivera.

Morrow pitched a masterpiece as he allowed only one runner to reach second base in the first eight innings, that coming in the first frame. Following a lead-off single in the first, Morrow retired 12 straight batters. The shutout was in jeopardy in the ninth as the first two Saints reached, but Morrow got three fly outs to end the game.

Game 2: Limestone 17, Tusculum 7

In the second game, Limestone parlayed 13 hits and four Tusculum errors into a 17-7 win in the night-cap.

Zach Watkins went 2-for-4, including a bases-loaded triple in the Saints’ eight-run fourth inning. Tusculum jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but in the bottom of the third, LC took advantage of three errors and scored seven unearned runs to lead 8-4.

In the fourth, 13 Saints went to the plate, including four consecutive walks as Limestone blew the game wide open to salvage the split.

Limestone starter Thomas Fekete went the distance as he scattered seven hits, allowed seven runs, three earned, walked three and struck out six to improve his record to 3-1. Tusculum starter Rob Currie suffered the loss.

Gonzalez went 2-for-2 for the Pioneers, including his team-leading 16^th double to extend his hitting streak to 11 games.

The two teams will meet in the final game of the weekend non-conference series on Sunday at 1 p.m.

- TC -