Box Score TIGERVILLE, S.C. – In the final game of the series, the King University baseball team looked to win game three to open Conference Carolinas play on the right note. A high scoring affair and quick start for the Tornado delivered them an 11-9 win behind 16 hits.
King (3-9, 1-1 CC) was very quick to start the third and final game of the series scoring 8 runs on 7 hits in the first inning. Braden Cook led off with a double and Tyler Raymond brought him home with a single. Derrick Moore plated Sola on a sacrifice fly followed by a Ryan Whitt double scoring Raymond forcing a Crusaders pitching change. Two bunt singles from J.P. Castaneda and Forrest Haga, brought Moises Soto and Whitt into score. The final two runs of the inning for the Tornado came on a Jose Sola double.
In the bottom half of the first inning, the Crusaders would tally four straight hits capped off with a three run double bringing the score to 8-3. The runs did not stop there for North Greenville as they added two sacrifice flies plating two more and at the end of one, King led the Crusaders 8-5. In the top of the second the Tornado added another run when Whitt walked, stole second and was brought home on a Castaneda single.
North Greenville (5-6, 1-1 CC) got one back in their half of the inning on two hits forcing Andrew Phemister to replace Jason Nebrat on the mound. After two innings of play, King led the Crusaders 9-6. King would register another run in the top of the third when Tyler Bailey recorded a walk to lead off the inning. A Sola single scored Bailey and King now led 10-6. Phemister would go one, two, three in the bottom of the third and through three innings of play King would hold a four run advantage.
In the Tornado half of the fourth, Moore led off with a single followed by a Whitt single but nothing would cross the plate as King left three on base moving into the bottom of the inning. North Greenville would narrow the lead scoring one run on two hits, leaving two on base in the home half of the fourth inning. Nothing would go for either team in the fifth inning and moving into the sixth, King led North Greenville 10-7.
The Tornado tallied one hit in the top of the sixth leaving one on base moving to the bottom half of the inning. The Crusaders got another run in the bottom of the sixth to narrow the King lead to 10-8 off of two hits. Raymond added one hit for the Tornado in the seventh but nothing would get across the plate moving into the bottom of the inning. Eric Stapleton replaced Phemister on the mound and recorded three strikeouts, shutting down the Crusaders lineup.
Nothing would go for King in the top half of the eighth inning as a North Greenville would retire the side in order. The Crusaders led off with a single but Stapleton would get out of the inning with no harm, heading to the ninth, King led North Greenville 10-8. In the top of the ninth, Cook singled and Soto plated him on a single, to give King a 11-8 advantage moving to the Crusaders final at-bat.
The King coaching staff brought in Nathan Helke for the save and the Crusaders leadoff batter reached on an error. A double scored one for North Greenville but Helke recorded three outs and King defeated North Greenville 11-9.
Earning the win for the Tornado was Nebrat and Helke recorded the save. The loss was handed to Henry for North Greenville. Sola led King going 4-6 with three runs batted in on the afternoon.
King will be back in action on Tuesday when they take on Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tenn. First pitch is slated for 4:00 pm.
