Box Score BRISTOL, Tenn. – Playing as the fourth seed in the opening game of the Conference Carolinas Tournament for the fourth straight season, the King University baseball team had to like their chances having won each of the last four, including three of them against Thursday's opponent Pfeiffer University. It appeared the Tornado were head to a fifth straight opening game victory until the Falcons hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th, giving Pfeiffer the 7-6 win and sending King to the losers bracket.
King (24-25) got off to as good of start as they could have asked for, plating five runs in the second inning. Mark Hencken and Jake Portugal ignited the frame with back-to-back doubles, putting the Tornado ahead. With runners on the corners, Josh Stephens dropped down a squeeze bunt to score another before King plated another on a throwing error. Braden Cook delivered another run with a triple to center before scoring on a Jose Sola infield single to give King a 5-0 run after two innings.
King's starting pitcher, Alex Martin cruised through the first three innings, and looked to get out of a jam in the fourth inning. However, Xavier Rodriguez rolled a two-out single up the middle to plate two and cut the Pfeiffer deficit to 5-2.
The Falcons (27-20) then added three unearned runs in the seventh inning, again with two outs as Anthony Allende ripped a three-run home run over the right center field fence to even the score at 5-all.
In the top of the eighth, Hencken tried to get the offense going with a two-out walk. Portugal followed with a single to right, and after a pitching change, Derrick Moore worked a pinch-hit walk to load the bases. However, King couldn't come up with the timely hit as the game went to the bottom of the eighth tied at 5-5.
Both teams got a two-out runner in the ninth, but neither could push across a run to send the game to extra innings.
In the 10th inning, Whitt laced leadoff single and was bunted to second before Portugal ripped a triple to right center, giving King the lead. The Tornado then tried to drop down a suicide squeeze, but the bunt was popped up and turned into a double play for the Falcons, keeping their deficit at 6-5.
In the bottom of the inning, Jordan Eckard ripped a one-out single before Nathan Helke got the second out of the inning. It appeared he would get out of the inning with a 1-2 count on Dalton Lindley. However, after fouling off a pitch, Lindley took the next pitch to right field, and it carried over the fence for a two-run home run, giving the Falcons the walk-off win.
The extra inning affair marked the second time in as many seasons that King and Pfeiffer went to extra innings in the conference tournament opener. A season ago, the Tornado defeated Pfeiffer 6-5 in 10 innings.
Portugal paced the offense with three hits and two runs batted in while Cook and Raymond both accounted for two knocks to lead the Tornado attack. Martin tossed seven innings, allowing five runs, two earned on six hits. Helke tossed the final two and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs and the two runs.
King will be in action again on Friday when they take the winner of tonight's matchup between top seeded University of Mount Olive and sixth seed North Greenville University. First pitch from Burlington Athletic Stadium is slated for 3:00 p.m.
