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Box Score 2 BRISTOL, Tenn. – Looking to win another Conference Carolinas series, the King University baseball team took the field for games two and three against Erskine College. The first game did not go as planned but the Tornado responded taking game two of the doubleheader to defeat the Flying Fleet in the three game series 2-1.
Game one started well for the Tornado as Alex Martin got the start and found his way out of the first inning allowing one hit. King scored in the bottom of the first when Raymond led off with a single and was brought home by Jose Sola. After one inning, King led Erskine 1-0.
In the second, Erskine posted a run off a home run from Hanlon Maivelett. King answered in the bottom of the inning off a two out triple from Raymond platting Moises Soto. With two innings in the books, King led Erskine 2-1. The third and the fourth saw no runs from either team and heading into the fifth, the score remained the same.
The Flying Fleet got on the board again in the top of the fifth off a Logan Galliher home run and then a sacrifice fly from Brandon Overstreet, plated Andrew Kozak. King went down in order in the bottom of the fifth and after five, King trailed Erskine 3-2. Erskine scored four times in the top of the sixth, first off a Sam Cothran double and a Galliher home run, his second of the game. King was held scoreless again in the bottom of the sixth and headed into the final inning, King trailed 7-2.
The seventh had the same result for the Tornado as Erskine recorded three runs while King was shutout. The Tornado fell in game one of the doubleheader 10-2. Earning the win was Luke Crumley while Alex Martin was handed the loss. Erskine posted 11 hits in the contest to King's seven.
In game two, Raymond started for the Tornado and went one, two, three in the top of the first and King took an early lead in the bottom. Mark Hencken singled scoring Raymond on the play to give King a 1-0 advantage after one inning. Raymond retired the Erskine lineup in order and King opened their lead in the bottom of two. Josh Stephens walked to start the inning and was brought home on a Joe Ganger double into left center. After two innings, King led the Flying Fleet 2-0.
The Flying Fleet homered twice in the top of the third to tie the game up at two moving into the home half of the inning. King went down in order and with three innings in the books, King and Erskine were knotted up at two. Erskine added more in the top of the fourth, three runs off three hits, open their lead to 5-2. The Tornado were sent down in order in the bottom of the fourth and with four innings complete, King trailed Erskine 5-2.
To start the fifth, Overstreet homered to open their lead to 6-2. In the home half of the fifth, King was sent down in order yet again. Nothing crossed for the Flying Fleet in the top of the sixth and King got a run back in the bottom of the inning. A Derrick Moore single down the left field line scored Jake Portugal bringing the score to 6-3. Neither team scored in the seventh and eighth and into the ninth, King trailed the Flying Fleet 6-3.
Erskine posted one hit in the top of the ninth before the Tornado tied it up in the bottom of the inning. A Preston Douglas pinch hit single brought in Braden Cook to score as he was pinch running for Ganger. J.P. Castaneda came into pinch run for Douglas and Sola stepped up to the plate and ripped a single, scoring Raymond and to bring the Tornado to within one, 6-5. The Tornado tied the contest up when Ryan Whitt reached on an error, scoring Castaneda. After nine innings, the game was tied up at six and the tilt headed into extra innings.
The 10th and 11th flew by for both teams and the 12th saw the contest come to an end when Forrest Haga stepped up to the plate after Ryan O'Neal was hit by a pitch. Cody Rogers entered the game as a pinch runner and scored when Haga delivered with a double to give King a 7-6 win and a 2-1 win series win. Earning the win for the Tornado was Nathan Helke while the loss goes to Kyle Foster.
The Tornado will be back in action on Tuesday, April 14 when they host Tusculum College. First pitch from the King baseball field is scheduled for 3:00 pm.
