Box Score BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University faced one of the top teams in the southeast region for the second time in a week on Tuesday afternoon. Tusculum College grabbed the lead early, and had to hold off a late Tornado rally to take the 10-4 victory.
Both teams had a baserunner in the first inning, but neither scored until the Pioneers (26-14) plated three in the second inning. Tusculum got three straight run scoring hits, giving them a 3-0 lead going to the bottom of the frame. Mark Hencken got the King offense going with a leadoff single, and Josh Stephens followed with a bunt single. Hencken then scored on a J.P. Castaneda bunt, cutting the deficit to 3-1 after two.
Tusculum added another run in the fourth and stretched their lead to 6-1 after scoring a pair in the sixth inning. The Pioneers put the game out of reach with three runs in the eight, two coming a single from Chris Waylock before make the score 10-1 with another run in the ninth inning.
King (21-23) didn't give up however, as Forrest Haga started a one-out rally with a single in the ninth. After an out, Tyler Bailey reached on an infield single and Cody Rogers drove in one with a single to center. Tyler Raymond plated a pair on a triple to center, but King couldn't plate any more runs, falling 10-4.
Raymond drove in two runs to lead the King offense while Jose Sola and Hencken accounted for two hits each.
King will be in action again on Wednesday when they travel to Lincoln Memorial for a 4:00 p.m. first pitch.
