Tusculum takes two from Trojans

By MOC Sports Information
Published in Sports on March 5, 2009 1:46 PM

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GREENEVILLE, Tenn. -- Tusculum plated two first-inning unearned runs and eased past No. 18-ranked Mount Olive 5-3 on Wednesday afternoon.

The Pioneers swept the two-day series.

Rich Racobaldo batted 2-for-4 and collected two RBI for the Trojans, who fell to 7-9 in road games this season. Mount Olive returns home Friday to face No. 6-ranked Erskine (S.C.) College. First pitch is 6 p.m. at Scarborough Field.

Mount Olive (11-9 overall) grabbed a one-run lead Racobaldo's first-inning RBI single. Tusculum answered with three runs in the first two innings off an infield error, Ricky Feliz's RBI single and Tim Kellinger's solo home run.

The Trojans climbed within 3-2 on Racobaldo's one-out, RBI single in the third inning. But the Pioneers, of the South Atlantic Conference, scratched out single runs in the fourth and sixth innings.

Down 5-2 in the seventh, Jesse Lancaster drew a two-out to load the bases with Joseph Westbrook and Dylan Holton aboard. Westbrook trotted home when Alex Vertcnik reached on an error, but Tusculum induced an inning-ending lineout to right field.

The Pioneers erased a Trojan baserunner in the eighth with a double-play ball. Mount Olive went quietly in the ninth inning.

Trojan starter Brent Haynes, the Conference Carolinas pitcher of the week, worked one-plus innings and allowed three runs, including two unearned. Craig Beasley tossed two-plus innings of relief, while JUCO transfer T.J. Hinson surrendered one run in 12/3 innings.

Kyle Jones and Ryan Williams combined for two-plus innings of scoreless relief.