Men's Baseball

Date: 19.05.2010

Age: 107 days

MASON, Ohio - A pair of unearned runs in the 12th inning proved too much for King College, the No. 8 seed, to overcome Wednesday in the first round of the 2010 NCCAA Division I Baseball World Series as No. 9 seed Indiana Wesleyan University won 9-7.

King, now at 28-15, moved into a losers' bracket game Thursday at 10 a.m. to play either Judson (Ill.) University or Spring Arbor (Mich.) University. Indiana Wesleyan went to 28-37 and will play top-seeded Bluefield (Va.) College Wednesday at 9 p.m.

In the final inning Derek Freds reached first on a King error when C.J. Stabler (Kingsport, Tenn.) misplayed a throw to him at first. On the play Quinn Nofziger came around from second as King had recorded two outs up to that point. Ben Zachary followed with a double to right as Nofziger scored. Zachary ended the day with a game-high three hits and had three RBIs.

Wednesday's game was the longest for King since the Tornado played 14 innings against UVa-Wise on May 3, 2007. It was the ninth time King played a game of at least 10 innings since the 2007 season and the Tornado have a record of 5-4 in such games. King played a pair of 10-inning contest earlier in the year and it was the first extra-inning setback this season.

King needed a RBI sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Brandon Reed (Seymour, Tenn.) in the eighth to continue the game. On the play Ryan Kennedy (Elizabethton, Tenn.) scored to make the score 7-7. Kennedy was on after a double and moved over with a sacrifice bunt.

Indiana Wesleyan used a RBI single by Brice Davis in the visitor's half of the eighth to gain the lead.

In the King seventh, Danny Williamson (Middleburg, Fla.) flied out to center after Stabler led off the inning with a triple for the Tornado's sixth run and force extra innings and answer Indiana Wesleyan's six-run fifth. Earlier in the game Stabler was on as Williamson cranked his 11th home run of the season in the third inning to extend King's lead.

Williamson was also tagged for the loss after he threw the final two innings and allowed the two unearned runs on a pair of hits. He had a team-best three RBIs as he was 1-for-4.

Indiana Wesleyan held the lead thanks to a six-run fifth in which 11 batters went to the plate. All six runs were scored with two outs as Indiana Wesleyan used six hits, one walk and one hit batter in the inning. It was just the fourth time this season King allowed six or more runs in a single inning.

King rallied with two outs in the second to gain the early advantage. Kennedy reached on an Indiana Wesleyan fielding error. Kennedy stole second then Josh Wear (Sevierville, Tenn.) walked. An opposite field line drive by Shane Timberlake (Lynchburg, Va.) down the right field line allowed Kennedy to score and Wear went to third. John Jordan (Bristol, Tenn.) then hit a towering ball to the fence in right center and in which Wear and Timberlake scored King's second and third runs of the game.

Up to that point Indiana Wesleyan had just two hits and King's starting pitcher Tyler Malone (Abingdon, Va.) retired 11 batters in a row between Wildcat hits.

Malone finished the game with six innings pitched and allowed six runs on eight hits with four strikeouts. The six earned runs ties the most allowed by the senior this season.

Jordan, Stabler and Josh Huffman (Lynchburg, Va.) had two hits apiece. Jordan drove in a pair of runs while Stabler scored twice. Jordan and Stabler also extended their hitting streaks to nine and eight games, respectively, which are both season highs for the duo.

For Indiana Wesleyan Jeremy Worrell tossed the first three innings for Indiana Wesleyan and allowed five runs, just two earned, on five hits. He also issued four walks with one strikeout.

Tee Blevins (Elizabethton, Tenn.) pitched four innings of relief and allowed the one run on three hits to help keep King in the game.

Michael Caley threw eight innings in relief for Indiana Wesleyan to earn the win. He scattered four hits, allowed a pair of runs, walked two and struck out five.

Ryne Brown earned the save with a one-hit outing in the final inning.

T.J. Fletcher, Derek Freds, Davis and Nofziger all gave Indiana Wesleyan two hits a piece. Fletcher also swiped two bases as Indiana Wesleyan was 4-for-7 in the stolen base category.

Nine runs once again proved to be too many against King. The Tornado moved to 0-8 when an opponent scores nine or more in 2010.