GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Carson-Newman baseball team rallied from behind twice including a three-run, ninth inning as the Eagles defeated Tusculum 8-6 Friday night at Eastman Credit Union Field and Pioneer Park.
The Eagles (15-11, 7-9 South Atlantic Conference) record their sixth consecutive victory while the Pioneers (9-18, 4-12 SAC) suffer their sixth loss in a row.
Trailing 4-3 heading in the top of the eighth inning, Sebastian Rodriguez belted a two-out, two-run homer over the right field wall to give C-N a 5-4 lead.
Tusculum answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth as Landon Dockery tied the game with a two-out RBI single to center. Evan Goins singled up the middle to move Dockery to third and he would later score from there on a passed ball as the Pioneers led 6-5.
In the top of the ninth with Walker Pedante taking over on the mound for TU, Aiden Gibson was hit by a pitch. After moving to second on a bunt, pinch-hitter Matthew Bishop stepped up and looped a soft single to shallow left field. Dockery came up with the ball and threw the ball home on a bounce. Catcher Nate Davidson, who entered the contest to start the frame, came up with the ball, but was unable to put the tag on Gibson who scored the tying run. On the play, Bishop moved to second base.
Kylan Hornbuckle pinch-ran for Bishop and scored the go-ahead run on Colton Evans base hit. Evans would move to third on a fielding error in the outfield. That would prove big as Cole Nathan sent a deep fly ball to right which was deep enough to score Evans with an insurance run.
C-N closer Kyle Adams took over on the mound and worked around a lead-off single and closed out the game with a pair of strikeouts to secure his third save of the season.
Carson-Newman reliever Brock Culpepper (2-0) earned the victory as he pitched five innings, allowed two unearned runs on five hits, one walk and two strikeouts.
Tusculum jumped out to an early 4-0 lead scoring one run in the second and three in the third frame. With runners on the corners and one out in the second, Jack Gagen drove in the game's first run with a sacrifice fly to score Rector from third base.
In the third, Dockery led off the inning with a solo homer to left as TU led 2-0. The Pioneers would load the bases and with two outs, Gagen came through again with his two-run single to left field as the Pioneers led 4-0.
The Eagles wasted little time as Bradley Soto Diaz and Rodriguez drew back-to-back walks and Braxton Smith homered to left as C-N now trailed 4-3.
Tusculum finished the game with 11 hits including two-hit performances from Dockery, Rector and Evan Goins but the Pioneers left 10 runners on base. Carson-Newman finished with 10 hits including two hits apiece from Evans and Logan Floyd.
The two teams will wrap up the three-game, weekend series on Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
