Box Score DUE WEST, S.C. – In what turned out to be a wild game in their Conference Carolinas series opening game at Erskine College, the King University baseball team ended up with a road win. Trailing by two runs going into the ninth inning, the Tornado rallied for five runs, including three on a pinch-hit home run from Austin Dayton that put King ahead. Nathan Helke then closed the game out in the bottom of the inning, giving King the 16-13 victory.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 16, Erskine 13
LOCATION: Grier Field; Due West, S.C.
RECORDS: King 9-12, 2-5 Conference Carolinas; Erskine 18-7, 5-2 Conference Carolinas
TIME OF GAME: 3:25
King Starting Lineup
1. Mark Hencken – C
2. Tyler Bailey – 2B
3. Ryan Whitt – LF
4. Ryan Sattz – 1B
5. Preston Douglas – RF
6. Dylan Sligh – DH
7. J.P. Castaneda – 3B
8. Josh Stephens – CF
9. Joe Ganger – SS
Starting Pitcher: RHP Gus Gill
Erskine Starting Lineup
1. Sam Cothran – LF
2. Rodney O'Neal – CF
3. Chris Rave – DH
4. Henry Faunce – 1B
5. Chaz Davey – 3B
6. Destin Nichols – C
7. Tyler Phillips – 2B
8. Kyle Heiss – SS
9. Trevor Wood – RF
Starting Pitcher: RHP Alex Calvert
KING HIGHLIGHTS
- Dayton may have come up with the biggest hit of the day for the Tornado, a three-run home run that capped a five run top of the ninth inning, giving King a 16-13 lead.
- Batting in the leadoff spot, Hencken went 4-for-6 and drove in three runs while Bailey went 3-for-5 and scored twice, batting in the second spot.
- Stephens also registered three hits, going 3-for-4 with three runs batted in and three runs scored.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Douglas got the Tornado on the board in the inning when he laced his third home run of the season to start the frame.
- King then extended their lead to 5-0 after a four-run third inning. Hencken and Bailey started the rally with back-to-back singles before Whitt drove in Hencken. King added another on a wild pitch and Sattz drove in one with a groundout. Stephens worked a bases loaded walk, giving King the five run advantage.
- The Flying Fleet answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning, two coming on a Phillips two-out single up the middle.
- Erskine took their first lead of the day when they scored three runs in the fourth inning, the final two on a Rave home run.
- The Tornado responded with three runs in the top of the fifth to regain the lead. Castaneda drove in one with a double, Stephens another with a single and Ganger drove in Stephens with another single, giving King an 8-6 lead.
- In the bottom of the inning, Erskine tallied one run before regaining the lead with three runs in the sixth. Faunce drove in one with a single, Nichols reached on an error, but drove in one and Phillips gave Erskine a 10-8 lead with a sacrifice fly.
- Just as they did all day, King had an answer, scoring three runs in the top of the seventh. Hencken plated all three runs with a bases loaded double, putting King on top 11-10.
- Erskine evened the tally with a sacrifice fly from Cothran in the seventh and took the lead later in the inning when Davey singled to center, driving in one.
- The Flying Fleet added an insurance run in the eighth on an A.J. Frabrizio single, giving Erskine a 13-11 lead going to the ninth.
- Castaneda walked to start the frame and scored when Stephens followed with a double.
- Following a pair of strikeouts, Bailey singled up the middle, scoring Stephens and evening the score.
- Whitt followed with a single before Dayton laced his pinch-hit home run that put King on top 16-13.
- Erskine got a pair of two-out hits in the ninth, but Helke induced a pop out to end the threat and give King the 16-13 win.
FOR THE FOES
- Rave led the Flying Fleet, going 4-for-5 with four runs scored and two runs batted in.
- Davey added four hits, going 4-for-6, scoring twice and driving in two while Faunce added three hits.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Grant Boyd (1-1) 3.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
Save: Helke (6) 0.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
Losing Pitcher: Joe Johnson (4-3) 2.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO
UP NEXT
- King and Erskine wrap up their three game Conference Carolinas series with a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch from Due West, S.C. is slated for 12:00 p.m.
