ANDERSON, S.C. – Tusculum freshman Daulton Martin drew a bases-loaded walk with one out in the top of the 11th inning to force in the go-ahead run and the Pioneers held off the Trojans, 6-5, in South Atlantic Conference action, Friday night at Memorial Stadium.
Anderson slipped to 8-21 overall and 4-9 in the league with its third loss in four decisions, while Tusculum improved to 17-8 overall and 10-3 in conference play with its eighth straight win and has won nine of its last 10 conference matchups.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Junior William Thomas was 5-for-6 on the night, with five singles and a run scored. Freshman Dillon Carpenter was 3-for-6 with a pair of singles and a game-tying solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. He drove in two runs and scored twice. Freshman Avery Green added three singles, with Xavier Peralta and Zach McIlroy combining for four singles and two RBI.
Senior Evan Small (1-1) suffered the loss after allowing one run in 1 1/3 innings of relief. He walked three and struck out one. Junior Andrew Dill gave up just one hit in 5 2/3 innings of relief, while fanning six and walking four in relief.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Tusculum opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first inning and added three more in the top of the third to take a 4-0 lead before the Trojans cut the deficit to one with three runs in the bottom of the third inning.
Tusculum responded with a run in the top of the fourth, while Anderson added a run in the bottom of the sixth and trailed 5-4.
Neither team scored in the seventh or eighth innings, while Carpenter's dramatic team-leading fifth homer of the season knotted the score at five apiece and sent the game into extra innings.
The Trojans got two runners aboard in the bottom of the 10th with two outs but were unable to capitalize, while the Pioneers managed to load the bases with one out in the top of the 11th, setting up Martin's heroics
STAT OF THE NIGHT
The two teams combined to strand 29 baserunners on the night (AU 15, TC 14)
NOTABLES
• The game marked the first extra-inning contest of the season for the Trojans.
• Thomas is eighth in the SAC with a .383 batting average.
• Thomas posted his second five-hit game of the season.
• Thomas leads the Trojans with 13 multiple-hit games this season.
• Carpenter and Tyler Miller each have 10 multi-hit games.
• Thomas extended his hitting streak to six games.
• Carson Barrett has reached base in eight straight games.
UP NEXT
The Trojans and Pioneers are slated to close out their three-game set, Saturday afternoon with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
