GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum outfielder Lukas Graves made a diving catch in the top of the ninth inning with the tying run in scoring position to lead the 23rd-ranked Pioneers to a 5-4 South Atlantic Conference win over Carson-Newman Sunday afternoon at Pioneer Park.
The Pioneers (15-0, 6-0 SAC) complete the three-game weekend sweep of the Eagles who fall to 6-9, 3-3 SAC. Tusculum remains undefeated on the season and is off to its best start in program history. The 15-game winning streak is also the second longest in school history (23 is the longest from Mar. 17-Apr. 21, 2007).
Tusculum managed the victory, despite posting only four hits, but drew nine walks and took advantage of three C-N errors, including two in a three-run, fifth inning.
TC sophomore Billy Sivyer was making his first collegiate start on the mound and notched his first career victory as he went 5 1/3 innings, allowed six hits, two runs, one earned, walked three and struck out four.
"This was one of those games where both teams made some mistakes and we were fortunate to come out with a victory. I thought Billy Sivyer hung in there pretty well as he did not have his best stuff today," said Tusculum head coach Doug Jones. "He worked out of some jams early in the game which were critical to give us an opportunity to get going. I thought their (C-N) pitching staff did a great job, but we hung in their and found a way to win the game."
Carson-Newman got on the scoreboard first in the second inning as Zach Long and Cody Fox led off with singles. Sivyer got the next two batters to fly out and struck out Troy Zadawdzki swinging on a pitch in the dirt. The ball was blocked catcher Cody Coffman, but his throw to first went off the glove of first baseman Heath Comerford, to load the bases. Trace Rogers walked on four straight pitches to force in the game's first run.
C-N starter Ryan Fillers (1-3) held the Pioneers hitless until the fourth inning. Alexi Colon and Cade Stallings drew consecutive walks to start the frame. Fillers got Coffman to ground into a double play with Colon moving to third. Matt Henriksen broke up the no-hitter and shutout with his two-out single to left field to tie the game at 1-1.
Carson-Newman regained the lead in the fifth inning when Duncan led off the inning with a looping single to left field and scored on Kyle Koeneman's RBI double to the wall in center field. Sivyer kept the game a one-run deficit (2-1) as he got the next three outs to end the threat.
In the bottom of the frame, eight Pioneers went to the plate. Carlos Santana reached on a fielder's choice and moved to second when Tripper Crisson got on base thanks to a fielding error. Graves drew a walk to load the bases. Colon popped up a 2-0 pitch that was dropped in foul territory, extending his at-bat where he eventually drew a walk to bring in the tying run. Stallings flied out to center field to bring in the go ahead run and Coffman followed with his RBI single to right to complete the three-run inning and a 4-2 Tusculum lead.
Sivyer ran into some trouble in the sixth inning as he hit Lance Rorex to open the frame. After Rorex was picked off first, Sivyer walked Mason Guymon.
The Pioneers went to the bullpen and brought in Michael Franklin, who got out of the jam with a ground out and a fly out.
TC added a run in the sixth when Guinn led off with a walk, moved to second on pinch-hitter Nate Reid's sacrifice and scored on Crisson's RBI single and a 5-2 lead.
The Eagles would whittle away at the deficit, scoring a run in the eighth inning when Rorex reached base on a fielder's choice, moved to second when Lance Reed was hit by a pitch and went to third on a wild pitch. Rorex scored on Zawadzki's ground out as TC led 5-3.
In the ninth inning, Duncan led off with a walk and scored from first base when Koeneman pulled a John-Austin Shepard pitch down the left field line for his second double of the day and third of the year as C-N trimmed the deficit to a single run.
Lucas Mohon flew out to freshman Jalen Shuffler for the first out of the inning. But Zach Long lined a drive to the gap in right center field, but Graves made a diving catch, preventing the tying run to score from second in Koeneman, who tagged up and moved to third. Ryan Hanks came to the plate with the tying run 90-feet way, but he was unable to leg out the slow driving roller up the middle that was hauled by Crisson and fired the ball to first base for the final out of the game.
Shepard earned his four save of the season, going two innings, allowed a hit, one run, a walk and a strikeout.
C-N's Brandon Zimmerman pitched two shutout innings where he walked two and fanned one for the Eagles.
The Eagles return to action on Tuesday against the University of Alabama-Birmingham. The doubleheader begins at 5 p.m. in Huntsville, Ala.
(Courtesy Tusculum Sports Information)
