WISE, Va. --- Evan Goins went 4-for-4 with three home runs and six RBI to lead the Tusculum University baseball team to an 18-4 win in seven innings at UVA Wise Friday night at Stallard Field in South Atlantic Conference action.
The Pioneers (13-26, 7-18 SAC) pounded out 19 hits including a season-best five home runs as TU snapped a three-game losing streak.
Goins three-homer performance is tied for the second most round-trippers in school history, matching the three-home run performance by Matt Henriksen in the 2013 season-finale against Shorter.
TU's Alejandro Ponte went 3-for-5 with a home run, while Kolby Watson also had a 3-for-5 night at the plate while finishing with three RBI. Caden Rector also hit a three-run homer to highlight a 7-run fifth inning to put some distance between the Pioneers and the Highland Cavaliers (11-28, 5-20 SAC).
Tusculum got on the board in the first inning when Jake Smith, Ponte and Landon Dockery loaded the bases with three straight singles. Smith would tag up and score on Steve Scarfone's sacrifice fly.
TU added a pair of runs in the fourth on Goins first homer of the game, a two-run shot to right field to up the lead to 3-0.
UVA Wise's Jake Smith hit a solo home run in the fourth inning to put the Cavs on the board, before Tusculum erupted for seven runs on six hits including a three-run homer by Rector, a two-run blast from Goins and Ponte's solo shot as TU led 10-1.
UVA Wise scored two times in the bottom of the fifth, but the Pioneers followed with a run in the sixth and seven more in the seventh to blow the game wide open. In the seventh, Goins led off with his third homer of the contest as TU sent 11 batters to the plate as Tusculum took an 18-3 lead.
UVA Wise's Jake Smith went 3-for-4 with two RBI for the Cavaliers while teammate Carter Babb went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Goins' six RBI are tied for the eighth-most in Tusculum history. Earlier this month, TU teammate Nick Satterly belted two home runs against Young Harris and finished with seven RBI.
Tusculum starting pitcher Aidan Sproles pick up the win as he went 5.1 innings, allowed three runs on five hits, one walk and five strikeouts to improve to 2-2 on the year. UVA Wise starter Eli Reece (1-7) suffered the loss in this 4.1 innings on the mound.
The two teams will wrap up the series with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Stallard Field.
