Bristol, Tenn. — King University baseball put together another gritty performance on Wednesday afternoon, collecting 13 hits and holding multiple leads, but a late Mars Hill push and an extra-inning RBI double proved decisive in a 5–4 loss at home. The Tornado (12–31) controlled the middle innings and received a three-run spark from Jose Ruiz, but the Lions (21–21-1) rallied late to steal the nonconference matchup in ten frames.
The game featured strong pitching stretches, clutch hitting on both sides, and a tense finish that kept the crowd engaged until the final out.
Early Frames: Lions Strike First, Tornado Answer Back
Mars Hill opened the scoring in the third inning when Terick Bumgarner drove a triple into right-center, plating Peyton Starkey and Mel Rubiera for a 2–0 advantage.
King responded immediately in the bottom half.
Justin Smith lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Christopher Rosario and trimming the deficit to 2–1.
Fourth Inning Surge: Ruiz Clears the Bases
The Tornado delivered their biggest swing of the afternoon in the fourth.
With the bases loaded, Jose Ruiz ripped a triple into center field, scoring Rosario, Adrian Vidal, and Tommy Regan to give King a 4–2 lead and ignite the home dugout.
Middle Innings: Pitching Takes Over
King's bullpen kept the Lions quiet through the sixth and seventh behind solid work from:
Mars Hill chipped away in the fifth when Chapel Matson launched a solo home run, cutting King's lead to 4–3.
Ninth-Inning Equalizer
Down to their final outs, Mars Hill found life in the ninth.
Bumgarner delivered again, singling through the left side to score Mel Rubiera and tie the game 4–4.
The run was unearned, extending the contest into extra innings.
Tenth-Inning Decider
In the top of the tenth, Jack Davis reached and later came around to score on a Gavyn Miller double down the right-field line, giving Mars Hill a 5–4 lead.
King brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom half, but Matt Pacheco closed the door to earn the save.
Offensive Leaders – King University
- Jose Ruiz: 3-for-5, 3 RBI, triple, double, SB
- Adrian Vidal: 2-for-4, double, run
- Logan Janney: 2-for-4, double, SB
- Justin Smith: 2-for-3, RBI (sac fly)
- Christopher Rosario: 2-for-5, 2 runs
- Kale Richardson: 1-for-4, walk
King totaled 13 hits, including three extra-base hits, and saw seven players reach base safely.
Pitching Notes – Tornado
A committee of nine pitchers combined to allow just five earned runs across ten innings:
- Connor Haynes: 1.0 IP, 0 ER
- Kade Pomeroy: 2.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 K
- Ricker, Meredith, Goldsmith, Willis, Kahlenberg: each with scoreless or one-run frames
- Braylen DeBusk: charged with the extra-inning loss (0–1)
Despite the defeat, the staff produced several key shutdown innings to keep King in control for much of the afternoon.
Despite the Loss, Plenty of Positives
King showed:
- A balanced offensive attack with 13 hits
- Another multi-run inning fueled by timely hitting
- Strong bullpen stretches across the middle frames
- A standout performance from Ruiz, who drove in all four Tornado runs
- Competitive resilience in a game that stayed tight from start to finish
Up Next
King now shifts its focus back to Bristol as the Tornado prepare for a Friday home matchup against UNC Pembroke. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET on April 17, where King will look to turn competitive performances into results against a strong Braves squad.
