Box Score BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University baseball team took on one of the top teams in the Southeast Region on Friday in a Conference Carolinas series opener, and the Tornado hung with Belmont Abbey College. The Tornado held the lead for the majority of the contest, but the Crusaders scored seven runs in three innings, and held off a late Tornado rally to take the contest 7-4.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Belmont Abbey 7, King 4
LOCATION: King Baseball Field; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 7-8, 1-3 Conference Carolinas; Belmont Abbey 14-3-1, 7-0 Conference Carolinas
TIME OF GAME: 2:41
King Starting Lineup
1. Josh Stephens – CF
2. Mark Hencken – C
3. Ryan Whitt – LF
4. Ryan Sattz – 1B
5. Austin Dayton – 3B
6. Tyler Bailey – SS
7. Moises Soto – DH
8. Preston Douglas – RF
9. Joe Ganger – 2B
Starting Pitcher: RHP Mark Hendricks
Belmont Abbey Starting Lineup
1. Matt McGarry – 2B
2. Colin Rosenbaum – SS
3. Nick Nunziato – 3B
4. Weston Clarke – 1B
5. Nick Beinlich – RF
6. Kayden Krause – DH
7. Lorenzo Wright – LF
8. Thomas Yoder – C
9. Connor Kwalwasser - CF
Starting Pitcher: RHP Tyler Byrnes
KING HIGHLIGHTS
- Hencken and Whitt led the Tornado with two hits apiece with Hencken driving in one.
- Braden Cook laced a run scoring double when he pinch hit in the ninth inning.
- King got at least one hit from 10 players in the contest.
- Hendricks pitched well, scattering 10 hits in seven innings before the Crusader offense chased him from the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Belmont Abbey threatened to take the lead in the second inning when they loaded the bases with no outs. However, Hendricks got a pop on the infield fly rule and a strikeout before getting a groundout that ended the threat and kept the game scoreless.
- Bailey used that momentum to rip a leadoff single in the bottom half of the inning. He moved to third on a pair of groundouts before Ganger drove him in with an infield single, putting King on top 1-0.
- The pitchers then settled in until the Crusader offense broke through in the sixth inning. Beinlich came up with a one-out single up the middle that scored two, putting Belmont Abbey up 2-1.
- The Crusaders added three in the seventh on a Nunzito home run and extended their lead to 7-1 on a Kwalwasser double down the left field line in the eighth.
- King didn't give up as Dylan Sligh came up with a pinch-high single through the left side and Ganger followed with a walk.
- Cook then ripped a double to deep center that scored one and forced a pitching change.
- Hencken plated another run with a single to center and put runners on the corners.
- Whitt was hit by a pitch to load the bases before the Crusaders got the first out of the inning leading 7-3.
- Dayton made it 7-4 with a sacrifice fly, but the Crusaders got the final out to take the 7-4 victory.
FOR THE FOES
- Nunziato led Belmont Abbey, going 2-for-5 with three runs batted in and two runs scored.
- Rosenbaum, Beinlich and Wright also registered two hits apiece.
- Beinlich and Kwalwasser drove in two apiece.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Byrnes (3-1) 8.0 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
Save: Ross Garrett (1) 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Losing Pitcher: Hendricks (0-3) 7.0 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
UP NEXT
- The teams conclude their three game Conference Carolinas series on Saturday with a doubleheader. First pitch is slated for 12:00 p.m.
