BRISTOL, Tenn. – Following a doubleheader sweep on Saturday, the King University baseball team went for the sweep of the University of Mount Olive on Sunday. The Tornado grabbed the early lead, but the Trojans came back in the middle innings. The teams traded runs in the final innings, but the Tornado couldn't complete the comeback, falling 12-8.
THE BASICS: UNC Pembroke 8, King 2
LOCATION: King Baseball Field; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 11-10, 8-6 Conference Carolinas; Mount Olive 17-8, 9-3 Conference Carolinas
TIME OF GAME: 3:53
KING HIGHLIGHTS
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Chase Hilliard was hit by a pitch in the second inning and scored on a Renwick triple.
- Renwick later scored on a Roper single, giving King the 2-0 lead.
- Mount Olive loaded the bases in the third and fourth innings, but Jakob Brown escaped each inning to keep the Trojans off the scoreboard.
- The Trojans broke through in the fifth with there runs, two on back-to-back run-scoring singles and another on a sacrifice fly to take a 3-2 lead.
- Alden Cottle hit a two-run home run in the sixth to extend the Mount Olive lead to 5-2.
- Graham got one of those runs back with a solo home run to left field, cutting the King deficit to 5-3.
- Mount Olive manufactured a run in the top of the seventh before a Jack Flanagan single scored Scott in the bottom of the inning to make the score 6-4 in favor of Mount Olive.
- The Trojans looked to break the game open with four runs in the eighth, highlighted by a David Cucci two-run single up the middle, giving Mount Olive a 10-4 lead.
- King bounced back with a rally in the bottom of the inning as Renwick started the frame with a single and scored on a double from Graham.
- Zachary Thomas then drove in Graham with a single before Scott plated a pair with a single up the middle.
- The four runs cut the King deficit back to 10-8 going to the ninth inning.
- However, Mount Olive scored twice in the ninth, one on a double and another on a sacrifice fly.
- Graham posted a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth, but that was it for the Tornado as Mount Olive took the game 12-8.
FOR THE FOES
- Cottle went 5-for-5 with three runs batted in and four runs scored.
- Cuccie also drove in three runs while Vite Patierno scored four times and went 3-for-5.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Blake Gipson (2-0) 3.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO
Losing Pitcher: Jakob Brown (2-3) 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 5 SO
UP NEXT
- King takes the diamond again on Wednesday when they host Bluefield State College at 3:30 p.m.
- Mount Olive is in action again on Tuesday against Queens University.
