Box Score GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – The King University baseball team jumped out of conference to take on another one of the region's top teams as they traveled to Tusculum College. King grabbed the lead early, and had chanced to extend the advantage, but he Pioneer defense helped get their pitching staff out of numerous jams while their offense put up four runs to take the contest 4-2.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Tusculum 4, King 2
LOCATION: Pioneer Park; Greeneville, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 10-18; Tusculum 20-7
TIME OF GAME: 2:34
King Starting Lineup
1. Mark Hencken – DH
2. Preston Douglas – RF
3. Ryan Whitt – LF
4. Dylan Sligh – 1B
5. Austin Dayton – 3B
6. Anthony Hunt – C
7. Tyler Bailey – SS
8. Josh Stephens – CF
9. Braden Cook – 2B
Starting Pitcher: RHP Mark Michael
Tusculum Starting Lineup
1. Jeremy Glore – CF
2. Jeovanny Tolentino – SS
3. Creighton Wilke – 1B
4. Kevin Victoriano – RF
5. Dante Key – LF
6. Nick Lacina – DH
7. John Topoleski – 3B
8. Jim Tolle – C
9. Zack Finchum – 2B
Starting Pitcher: RHP Cameron Carney
KING HIGHLIGHTS
- Sligh and Cook both drove in a run for the Tornado with Sligh recording two hits.
- Douglas and Hunt both registered a pair of hits.
- Michael struck out seven hitters in five innings of work.
- The Tornado offense struggled to come up with a timely hit as they stranded 13 runners on base.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Douglas sparked the King offense in the top of the first inning with a double. He later scored on a Sligh single to left field.
- King threatened to extend their lead in the second when they loaded the bases with one out. However, the Pioneers got a strikeout and groundout to end the fame and keep their deficit at 1-0.
- In the bottom of the inning, Tusculum evened the tally as Finchum drove in Key, who singled to start the inning, evening the score at 1-1.
- Key then gave Tusculum a 2-1 lead when he ripped a leadoff home run to start the fourth inning.
- The Pioneers extended their lead in the sixth inning when Tolle ripped a triple that scored Topoleski, who was hit by a pitch. Tolle then scored on a wild pitch, making in a 4-1 lead after six.
- Hunt started a rally in the eighth inning with a leadoff single. He was then put out on a fielder's choice. Cook came up with a double that scored Bailey, cutting the King deficit to 4-1.
- However, the Tornado stranded a pair of runners in the inning, and couldn't get a rally going in the ninth as Tusculum took the Contest 4-2.
FOR THE FOES
- Finchum led the Pioneers, going 3-for-4 and driving in one.
- Key scored twice and drove in one as he went 2-for-4.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Carney (3-0) 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO
Save: McKenly Berry (1) 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO
Losing Pitcher: Michael (0-2) 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO
UP NEXT
- The Tornado return to the diamond on Wednesday when they host Mars Hill University at 3:00 p.m.
- Tusculum is in action again on Friday when they travel to Lenoir-Rhyne University.
