Saturday, April 12, 2008

TUSCULUM, WINGATE SPLIT SAC BASEBALL TWINBILL

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum’s Maikol Gonzalez went 6-for-9 with a pair of doubles as the Pioneers and Wingate split a South Atlantic Conference baseball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Park. The Bulldogs (19-31, 8-12 SAC) rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win the opener 5-4, while Tusculum (33-12, 11-9 SAC) rebounded with a dozen hits in a 9-2 victory in the night-cap.

Tusculum has its eight-game winning streak halted, while suffering its first loss to the Bulldogs in 10 tries.

Game 1: Wingate 5, Tusculum 4

Two pitches, two hits are all that Wingate’s Kevin Childs needed as the Bulldogs fought back from a three-run deficit to defeat Tusculum 5-4 in the first game of the day.

Trailing 3-0 heading into the seventh inning, Childs came off the bench to pinch-hit as he sent the first offering by TC starter Eric Donahue over the right field wall, while Aaron Knowles aboard to trim the deficit to 3-2.

In the eighth inning, Blair Troutman came through with a one-out, two-run double to center field to give Wingate the lead 4-3. Childs with a double of his own, while was laced down the left field line to plate Troutman with the insurance run. And need it they would.

Tusculum mounted a rally in the bottom of the ninth as Aaron Hudgins drew a lead-off walk and moved to third on Christian Rosa’s single. With runners on the corners, Carlos Rivera brought home Hudgins on a fielder’s choice, forcing out Rosa at second. Gonzalez doubled down the right field line to put the winning runs in scoring position.

But Wingate reliever Cameron Falcon struck out the final two batters as the Bulldogs recorded the victory. Falcon improves to 2-1 on the season as he pitched the final three innings. TC reliever Mat Galens (3-1) suffered the loss, despite tying a new school record with his 71^st mound appearance.

Childs went 2-for-2 with three RBI and a run scored, while Spencer Robinson and Aaron Knowles accounted for two hits each.

Gonzalez led all players with his 3-for-5 effort, while also recording a pair of stolen bases. Matt Webb went 2-for-4, while Carlos Rivera drove home two RBI, including his sixth home run of the season.

Game 2: Tusculum 9, Wingate 2

Tusculum plated four runs in the first inning as the Pioneers bounced back with a 9-2 win in the second game. Gonzalez added another three-hit performance, while Rosa, Webb and Brandon Behenna each had two hits in the victory.

In TC’s four-run first inning, eight Pioneers went to the plate. Rosa and Rivera drew lead-off walks, while Gonzalez singled to load the bases. After Webb

was hit by a pitch to bring home of the first run of the game, Eric Conley singled down the left field line, scoring Gonzalez and Rivera and moving Webb to third. Matt Ford drove in the fourth run of the frame with a sacrifice fly as TC led 4-0.

Wingate got on board in the second when Matt Crump blasted his second home run of the season, a solo shot to left field. But TC got the run back in the bottom of the inning as Adam Wilson led off with a walk and scored on a RBI single by Rosa.

Tusculum added another run in the third and two more in the fourth as Webb responded with a two-run double. Nick Siega-Riz clubbed his seventh home run of the season, a solo knock in the fifth, while TC plated another run in the sixth to account for the remainder of the offense in the game.

Wingate’s Cale Rogers led his team at the plate as he went 2-for-3 in the contest.

Tusculum has clinched the No. 3 seed in next week’s Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Baseball Tournament. Official tournament pairings will be announced by the league office. The Pioneers return to action on Tuesday when they host King College for a 6 p.m. game at Pioneer Park.

- TC -