GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – The road adventures have not been kind to the Lee University baseball team this season. That was the case on Tuesday evening when they visited Tusculum University. The Flames fell behind 12-4 after seven innings before staging a five-run rally in the ninth and losing 12-9.

Lee, 19-11, will return to GSC action on Friday and Saturday, traveling to the University of Montevallo for a three-game series. Friday's first pitch is slated for 6 p.m. and Saturday's twin bill is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.

Coach Mark Brew used seven pitchers in the loss to the 11-19 Pioneers. Alex Brew was the starter and charged with the loss. He worked the first two innings and gave up two hits and one earned run. The lefty struck out two and walked one.

Tusculum tallied eight runs against the next three Lee pitchers. The final three hurlers that took the mound turned in credible performances. Landon Nease pitched a pair of innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs. Zach Tierney came on for 1.2 frames. The lefty gave up just one hit. Tyler Pickens warmed up for the weekend series by toeing the rubber in the bottom of the eighth and allowed one hit.

In the ninth-inning rally, Luke Collier reached on a single and scored on a two-base hit by Casen Youngblood. Youngblood crossed home on a hit by Nate Caraballo. Braden Gabel had a one-base knock that pushed Cody Turner across the dish, who had earlier picked up a free pass. Landon Franklin walked with the bases loaded and JJ Williams, who had reached base with his third hit of the night, tallied.

The inning continued when Collier, batting for the second time in the inning, reached on an error to load the bases. Caraballo registered the final run of the inning, which was scored as unearned.

Williams was the only Flame with three hits in the loss. Collier and Caraballo had two hits apiece. Youngblood, Franklin and Caraballo each banged out two-base hits. Caraballo collected three big RBI. Gabel followed with two runs batted in while Franklin, Youngblood and Williams posted an RBI each.

The Pioneers were led by Jake Absher, Justin Millsaps and Jake Smith with three hits apiece. Millsaps drove in three runs while Smith doubled,and Alejandro Ponte had a two-base hit and a single. Tusculum used six pitchers in the win. Will Webb started and worked three hitless innings, but it was Luke Maicon (2-1) who came on for two innings and picked up the pitching win.