Staff report

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — Catawba’s baseball team played three tight games at Tusculum to start the South Atlantic Conference season and lost two of them.

Tusculum (7-7, 4-2) beat the Indians 6-4 on Monday afternoon. Catawba (9-5, 1-2) had the tying runs at second and third in the ninth inning after two walks and two steals, but the Pioneers were able to retire Dylan Driver for the final out on a called strike, with hot-hitting Sam Hunter on deck.

Tusculum out-hit the Indians 13-8 on Monday and won despite two triples by Hunter and three RBIs by Levi Perrell.

Hayden Simmerson started on the mound and pitched four innings. He allowed six hits and four walks, but only two runs. Mason Gwyn (1-1) took the loss.

Catawba held a 4-3 lead going to the bottom of the seventh, but the Pioneers scored two runs to take the lead. They added a run in the eighth and held on in the ninth.

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Catawba lost 4-2 in the opening game of a Sunday doubleheader

The Indians (9-4, 1-1) got nine hits, including two each by Perrell, Cole Hales and Cooper Bryson. The Indians took a 2-1 lead to the bottom of the sixth, but that’s when the Pioneers scored tying and go-ahead runs.

Hales and Bo Rusher had the RBIs for Catawba. Austin Fine (2-1) took the loss.

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Catawba scored twice in the seventh to win a seven-inning nightcap on Sunday, 3-2.

Perrell had two hits.

Hunter, Ty Hubbard and Drew Robertson had RBIs. Robertson’s single scored pinch-runner Zeb Burns with the deciding run.

Payne Stolsworth pitched five innings. Gwyn (1-0) pitched the bottom of the sixth and got the win. Hales pitched the seventh for his first save.

Catawba is scheduled to play Newberry on Tuesday at Newman Park at 4 p.m. and is scheduled to host a weekend series with Lenoir-Rhyne.