Pioneers, Greyhounds split, bragging rights to Tusculum's Steele
RHP Reid Werner tossed a gem in a 9-2 win in Game 1 win for Indianapolis and head coach Al Ready (London, Ont.) , pitching five scoreless before allowing with five hits and two runs allowed in eight.
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University’s Bryson Ford tied a school single-game record scoring five runs in the night-cap as the Pioneers split a non-conference baseball doubleheader with the University of Indianapolis Sunday afternoon at Pioneer Park.
Indy starter Reid Werner pitched an eight-inning gem as the Greyhounds defeated the Pioneers 9-2 in the opener. That evened the series between former London Majors with Al Ready (London, Ont.) running Indianapolis, while Brandon Steele (London, Ont.) was in charge in the Tusculum dugout. The Canadian Baseball Network’s J.P. Antonacci wrote a feature on the match up this week.
Tusculum drew 15 walks in the second game to win 16-7 to capture the weekend series two games to one.
Game 1: Indianapolis 9, Tusculum 2
UIndy’s Brandon DeWitt went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and Werner blanked the Pioneers through the first five innings en route to a 9-2 victory for the Greyhounds.
Werner (1-0) scattered five hits, allowed two runs, walked one and struck out nine in his 119-pitch performance. Reliever Zach Rana pitched a perfect ninth inning with a pair of strikeouts to close out the game.
The Greyhounds jumped out to a 6-0 lead scoring two times in the second inning, three times in the third and once in the fifth. Shortstop Alex Vela plated the first runs of the game with his two-run single in the second. In the third, DeWitt had a two-run single to highlight a three-run frame. In the fifth frame, Brian Keeney lined out to left field to bring home the game’s sixth run.
Tusculum’s Daulton Martin broke up the shutout with his lead-off homer over the right field wall in the bottom of the sixth. He would drive in TU’s second run two innings later with his RBI double to right.
The Pioneers utilized six pitchers in the game including starter Tyler Harmon (0-1) who suffered the loss. TU hurlers recorded 12 strikeouts, while walking nine.
Game 2: Tusculum 16, Indianapolis 7
Tusculum fell behind six runs again in Sunday’s second, but a nine-run second inning, coupled by a slew of bases on balls and the Pioneers rallied to the 16-7 victory.
The Pioneers amassed just seven hits in the game, but nine of the 15 walks would eventually score. TU reliever Mitch McCain (1-0) recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts in his 5 1/3 innings of work to pick up the victory. He allowed one unearned run, one hit and walked two in his 90-pitch effort.
Ford went 3-for-5 and scored five runs which ties the school record which has been achieved 11 previous times with the latest coming from Seth DeHaven against Lenoir-Rhyne University in 2018. Current associate head coach Todd Ireland also holds the record with his five runs score against King University in 1996.
The Greyhounds plated a run in the first inning and added five runs in the second to take a 6-0 lead. Hunter Waning accounted for the big hit in the second with his two-run double.
In the bottom of the second inning, TU sent 14 batters to the plate as TU totaled just two hits but drew seven walks, including four times with the bases loaded. Chase Wullenweber had a two-run single in his second at-bat of the inning to give Tusculum a 9-6 lead.
The Pioneers scored twice in the third inning to make it an 11-6 lead. UIndy scored a run in the fifth, but Tusculum added two runs each in the fifth and sixth innings and one more in the eighth to cap the scoring.
Brandon Trammel went 2-for-3 with four RBI and a pair of walks for the Pioneers.
Indianapolis finished with eight hits including multi-hit outings by Waning, Keeney, and DeWitt.