GREENVILLE, NC – The Winston-Salem State Rams (17-11) rallied late to take a 5-3 road win over the Tusculum Pioneers (13-15), Thursday evening. After taking a 2-1 deficit into the seventh inning, the Rams scored four runs in the final inning and turned on their defense to claim the 5-3 road win.
The Rams had a great overall effort in the game. As a team, the Rams totaled 10 hits in the game with freshman left fielder Luke Spiva going two-for-two at the plate with a two-for-two batting effort. Senior right fielder Brandon Ford added a two-for-four batting effort with a double and an RBI. Junior third base Nick Williams was two-for-three with a double and a run scored. Sophomore Cole Parks recorded three RBI in the game.
This time it was the Rams who got the strong early start with an opening inning run. The team got on the scoreboard when sophomore Cole Parks laid down an RBI sacrifice bunt that scored senior John Garcia. The Rams held the lead until the fourth inning when Tusculum scored a pair of runs to leave the Rams trailing, 2-1. The Rams carried the deficit into the seventh and final inning. Junior centerfielder Randy Norris got things started when he tied the game on an RBI single to score senior Matthew Mauldin. The Rams took the lead on a two-RBI single from sophomore Cole Parks that scored Norris and Garcia. The effort left the Rams on top, 4-2. From there, the WSSU defensive kicked in, holding the Pioneers to just one seventh-inning run to seal the 5-3 win.
WSSU junior Tomas Goco (1-0) got the pitching win while junior Josh Larson took the save (1). Goco went two innings with one run scored, one earned, and four strikeouts. Larson came in for 0.1 innings with no runs allowed, just one hit, and one walk. Redshirt-freshman Jalen Scott got the start and finished the game with 4.2 innings with two runs allowed, two earned, on two hits with a strikeout.
With the win, the Rams improve to 17-11. The team will get a bit of a break as they will return to action, Wednesday, when the team hosts the Belmont Abbey Crusaders in a 6:00 p.m. game. For more information on Rams baseball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.
