Baseball Splits at Tusculum

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – The Lions split a double-header at Tusculum in South Atlantic Conference baseball action Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Park. Mars Hill took their season record to 4-10 overall and 1-2 in the League. Tusculum is now 8-7 on the season, 2-1 in the SAC.

Game 1: TC 13, MHU 1

Brett Brubaker went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored to lead the Lions in game one. Lance Edwards also tallied two hits in the contest. Troy Hall took the loss (0-3) pitching in relief.

Edison Cabrera led the Pioneers with one hit and three RBI while Daulton Martin had two RBI and a double. Leurys Diaz obtained the win (2-0) throwing 6.1 innings scattering six hits and striking out four batters.

Shomarii Thomas singled in the top of the fourth inning to send Brubaker to the plate and put the first run on the board. Unfortunately, after that point the rest of the game belonged to Tusculum. The Pioneers tied the game with a single run in the bottom half of the fourth frame and then exploded for seven runs in the sixth inning on the same number of hits and one Lion error. The Pioneers then added five runs on two hits and one Lions miscue in the seventh inning to make the final tally 13-1 in favor of the hosts.

Game 2: MHU 6, TC 5

Christian Stampler went 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI to lead the Lions' offensively. Cody Cline was 1-for-3 with a triple and an RBI while Matt Honeycutt was 1-for-4 with an RBI. Zac Brown picked up the win (1-1) pitching six innings allowing four earned runs while striking out six batters. Nate Montgomery led the Pioneers with two hits and an RBI. Pedro Rodriguez suffered the loss (1-1) throwing 1.1 innings in relief.

Tusculum scored single runs in the first and second innings before notching three runs in the third stanza on three hits and one Lion error to take a comfortable 5-0 advantage. The Lions fought back and scored a single run in the fourth inning when Stampler singled to drive in Brubaker. An RBI triple by Cline and a sacrifice fly by Edwards in the fifth inning trimmed the deficit to 5-3. The Lions then scored two runs on the same number of hits in the sixth inning to tie the contest at five-all. Honeycutt drove in the first run in the at-bat with a single to center field that sent Brubaker to the plate and then Josh Hall scored Honeycutt on a sacrifice bunt down the first base line. In the top of the seventh inning Honeycutt hit into an unconventional double play, but in doing so, the play allowed Daniel Vitello to cross the plate from third base for what would later prove to be the game winning run. Fausto Turro faced four batters in the bottom of the seventh inning allowing just one hit while striking out one batter to record his second save of the season.

Mars Hill will return to action on Tuesday, February 27, when they face Lake Erie. The game is set to begin at 2 p.m.