by John Hackney
ASHEBORO, N.C.-Undefeated Tusculum College scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings Friday night to post a 5-3 NCAA DII baseball victory over Barton College.
Tusculum rose to 5-0 while Barton is 3-3. Both teams rapped seven hits in the contest. Trey Drewery and Tripper Crisson notched two hits apiece for the Pioneers, who rode a six-inning, six-hit performance from winning pitcher Craig Goodman (2-0), who struck out seven. Spiers Miller and Clay Martin collected two hits apiece for the Bulldogs.
With the score deadlocked at 3-3, the Pioneers plated a run in the fifth on a solo homer by Alexi Colon. Drewery singled to start the sixth, moved to second on a Nate Reid single up the middle and scored on a single by Crisson.
Barton took a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first on a leadoff triple by Miller, an RBI single by Chris Rawlings, two groundouts and a full-count, run-scoring single from Ryan Daughtry. Tusculum responded with a three-run second inning. Crisson provided the big blow with a bases-loaded, two-run single. Barton tied it at three in the top half of the third when Clay Martin singled home Miller.
John-Austin Shepard got the save for the Pioneers in 1 2/3 innings of action. Bentley Massey (0-2) started and worked 5 2/3 innings for the Bulldogs. He spaced six hits and allowed four earned runs. He fanned six and walked three. Michael Frazier and Christian Oliver also toed the mound for Barton.
