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Box Score 2 BRISTOL, Tenn. – In their first home contests in nearly a month, the King University baseball team squared up against the University of Mount Olive in a Conference Carolinas doubleheader. Two early runs in game one, delivered the Tornado a 4-3 win and the team followed it up with a four run fifth inning to win game two 5-2 and take the series from the Trojans.
King was quick to start in game one when Heath Loyd sent the Mount Olive lineup down in order and the Tornado proceed to score two runs in the bottom of the inning. Jose Sola doubled with two outs followed by a Ryan Whitt double scoring Sola on the hit. Jake Portugal delivered a single into right field scoring Whitt and after one inning of play, King led Mount Olive 2-0. Nothing would go for either team in the second or the third as we moved into the fourth inning.
Mount Olive got on the board in the top of the fourth when Justin Manning singled followed by a Kilgore Gailmard double advancing Manning to third. Rob Shipman registered a run batted in scoring Manning on a groundout to Joe Ganger. The Tornado answered in the bottom of the inning when Sola started the inning off with a single and Preston Douglas singled advancing Soto to third. Ganger grounded out to first base scoring Sola giving King a 3-1 lead.
The fifth inning would fly by and the top half of the sixth inning resulted in nothing for the Trojans. King got another run in the bottom of the sixth when Douglas singled and advanced to second on a throwing error by the catcher. Ganger singled to left field scoring Douglas opening the lead to 4-1. The Mount Olive seventh resulted in a one, two, three inning before Moises Soto recorded a hit in the bottom of the inning but nothing crossed the plate as the game headed into the eighth inning.
The eighth was quick for both teams and Nathan Helke came in to close the game for the Tornado in the top of the ninth. Although the Trojans were able to tally three hits and two runs, Helke was able to end the game with King taking the contest 4-3.
Earning the win for the Tornado was Loyd moving to 3-1 on the year while Kodi Whitley recorded the loss for Mount Olive. Ganger led King with two runs batted in while Douglas registered three hits in the contest. King recorded 13 hits in the outing while Mount Olive tallied eight.
In game two, Mount Olive started quick, tallying a run in the top of the first to open the scoring up. Sola doubled in the bottom of the inning to tally the lone hit for the Tornado and moving into the second inning, King trailed Mount Olive 1-0. Grant Tyndall doubled for Mount Olive in the top half of the inning but nothing would cross and King capitalized in the home half tallying one run on three hits. Mark Hencken singled and Douglas brought him home on a single to left field to tie the game up at one moving into the third inning.
The Trojans got on the board again in the top of the third off a sacrifice fly to regain the lead at 2-1. King went down in order in the bottom of the inning and moving to the fourth, King trailed Mount Olive 2-1. The fourth was fast for both teams and Mount Olive went down in order in the top of the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, King opened up the scoring. Douglas led off with a walk and Ganger reached on an error by the pitcher. Tyler Raymond recorded a sacrifice bunt advancing Ganger to second and Douglas to third. Braden Cook proceeded to walk and Sola lined out to right field scoring Douglas. Ryan Whitt did the damage on a three run bomb giving the Tornado a 5-2 advantage.
The sixth and the seventh inning resulted in nothing for both teams and King won game two of the series 5-2. Earning the win on the mound for King was Matt Jackson while Derek Justice earned the loss for the Trojans. Helke recorded his eighth save of the season in the contest. Whit led the Tornado with three runs batted in while Hencken added three hits.
The Tornado will be back in action on Sunday, March 22 when they will look to complete the three game series against Mount Olive with a win. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm in Bristol, Tenn.
