GREENEVILLE, TN - The Tusculum Pioneers scored nine runs in the fourth inning and didn't look back, taking down the Bears 12-10 in Friday night's series opener.
Mackenzie Wainwright was 4-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and a walk. The Bears out-hit the Pioneers 15-8 but committed five costly errors and left 14 runners on base.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Tusculm 12, Lenoir-Rhyne 10
Records: Tusculum (16-27, 10-18 SAC), Lenoir-Rhyne (30-10-1, 19-8-1 SAC)
Location: Greeneville, TN | Pioneer Park
STORY OF GAME:
- Down 1-0, Lenoir-Rhyne scored four in the third to take the lead.
- Seth Christmas and Drew Beard picked RBIs before Nathan Kidder closed the scoring with a 2 RBI single to right.
- Tusculum took advantage of a few Bear errors to score nine in the bottom of the fourth.
- Lenoir-Rhyne inched back with solo runs in the fifth and seventh and three runs in the sixth.
- The Pioneers padded their lead with two unearned runs in the eighth.
- Lenoir-Rhyne attempted to mount a comeback in the eighth but got just one run before a strikeout ended the game.
STATS OF GAME:
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Lenoir-Rhyne is 36-53 all-time against the Pioneers.
- In the last 15 years Lenoir-Rhyne has swept Tusculum in a series just two times (2015, 2025).
UP NEXT: Lenoir-Rhyne will take on Tusculum in a doubleheader tomorrow from Greeneville, Tennessee. First pitch of the opener is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
