Pioneers Get A Mid-Week Road Win Over Calhoun
By: Timothy M. Reece, Athletic Media Coordinator
On Tuesday, March 4th, Volunteer State traveled to Decatur, Alabama, and defeated the Calhoun Community College Warhawks, 9-6, in a 9-inning game. The win ended the Pioneers' (14-6, 3-5) longest losing streak of the year at 2 games. Calhoun and Vol State have battled every year in the Jim McGuire era, with Vol State now owning a 5-2 record against the Warhawks since the 2022 spring season.
Starting Pitcher, Parker White (R/SO-LHP), went 3 innings for the Pioneers, allowing 4 hits, 3 HBP, and 2 earned runs, while striking out 4 Warhawks. He left the game with a 3-2 lead, after Vol State scored a run in the 1st and 2 runs in the 3rd.
Bryant Rascoll (R/SO-RHP) threw the 4th inning and gave up 2 runs, 1 of which was earned, on 2 hits, and struck out a batter. Calhoun held a 4-3 lead until the Pioneers tied the game with a run in the top of the 5th. Braxten Alexander (R/SO-LHP) and Caden Blackford (R/SO-RHP) pitched the next 3 innings, allowing no runs and only 2 hits, while the Vol State offense scored 5 runs in the 7th and 8th innings to take a 9-4 lead.
Calhoun scored single runs in the 8th and 9th to make the final score 9-6. Blackford (1-0), who gave up only one hit while striking out 2 batters, picked up his 1st collegiate victory. Drew Morehead (FR-RHP) entered the game in the bottom of the 9th and recorded the final 3 outs to notch his 4th save, which is the most by a Vol State Pitcher since former Lebanon (TN) High School RHP, Chase Birdwell, when he finished with 3 saves in the 2023 season.
The Pioneers offense was led by Easton Denning (FR-1B), who went 2-4 at the plate, scoring 4 runs and driving in 4 runs with 2 doubles and a walk. The 2 doubles for Denning gave him 9 for the season, which leads the TCCAA conference, and the 4 RBI's gave him 24 for the year, which leads the team and is 3rd in the conference. Reed Muschinsky (R/SO-RF) and Scotty Dean (SO-C) each collected 2 hits and had an RBI. Gage Hoover (SO-LF) picked up his first triple of the year, which was his 8th extra-base hit of the season.
Vol State goes on the road next, in conference play, to take on the Dyersburg State Eagles. The Pioneers won the series, 2-1, at home last year. Caleb Pica, LHP from John T. Overton HS in Nashville, now at Lipscomb University, won his first game of the year, and Jack McLaury (SO-RHP) picked up a win to go to 3-0 in his freshman year.