BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University baseball team scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth, but their rally came up just short, as the Tornado fell to top-ranked North Greenville University 6-3 Saturday afternoon.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: North Greenville 6, King 3
LOCATION: King Baseball Field; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 9-14, 2-12 CC; North Greenville 24-2, 14-1 CC
KING HIGHLIGHTS
HOW IT HAPPENED
- It took until the fifth for either team to post a run, which came in the top of the inning when the Crusaders led off with a solo home run, going ahead 1-0.
- North Greenville would add a pair of runs in the seventh, stretching their lead to 3-0.
- After the Crusaders took a 5-0 lead, the Tornado made noise in the bottom of the eighth, scoring three runs on three hits.
- It started when Conner Hyatt led off with a walk, advancing to second when Garret Huffman singled through the right side.
- After back-to-back strikeouts, Chase Hilliard singled to center field, scoring Hyatt and getting King on the board.
- The Tornado wouldn't end there, as Hall singled through the right side, scoring Hilliard and Huffman to pull King to within 5-3 before the inning came to an end on the bases.
- The Crusaders added a insurance run in the top of the ninth before shutting down the Tornado in the bottom to escape with the 6-3 win.
FOR THE FOES
- Marek Chlup was 2-for-4, with a home run and two runs scored.
- Other Crusaders to record multiple hits include Zach Zarra (2-for-3), Bryce Roddey (2-for-4) and Cory Bivins (2-for-4, two RBI).
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Caleb Freeman (3-0) 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
Losing Pitcher: Drew Moore (3-3) 7.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO
Save: Michael Rodriguez (2) 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
UP NEXT
- The Tornado will embark on a nine-game road trip starting Tuesday at Emory & Henry. King isn't scheduled to be back at home until April 4 when they host Mars Hill in a nonconference game.
- The Crusaders will host Lincoln Memorial University Monday afternoon.
