WISE, Va. – Playing a doubleheader for the second time in eight days, the King University baseball team swept the twinbill at UVA Wise on Wednesday afternoon. The Tornado took game one 7-3 before winning game two 7-1.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 7, UVA Wise 3; King 7, UVA Wise 1
LOCATION: Stallard Field; Wise, Va.
RECORDS: King 16-13; UVA Wise 13-24
SERIES HIGHLIGHTS
- Wes Bonney went 4-for-4 in game two, scoring twice and driving two.
- Davis Hall went 5-for-8 on the day with a double and three runs batted in.
- Truman Roper and Jarrett Backus drove in two each while Roper scored twice and collected two hits.
GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS
- Hall tried to start a one-out rally in the first with a double and Robbie Scott followed with a single. However, both runners were stranded.
- On the mound, Michael Cordova retired the side in order in the first.
- King threatened with two runners in each of the next two innings but couldn't push a run across.
- Connor Andrews started the top of the fourth with a walk and moved to second on a Cody Hutcherson single.
- Following a sacrifice bunt, Andrews scored on a Roper groundout.
- UVA Wise got on the board in the fifth inning three unearned runs. The first scored on a Tornado defensive miscue before a two-run home run gave the Cavaliers the 3-1 lead.
- The first three Tornado batters reached in the sixth, started by a Jack Flanagan single.
- Following a pair of outs, Hall drove in a pair with a single to even the score.
- After a walk, a Backus single scored a pair to give King the 5-3 lead.
- Tanner Hunley entered on the mound in the sixth and retired the Cavaliers in order.
- King added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh as Deric Graham drove in one and Scott drove in another.
- That was all Hunley need as he worked around a one-out double to retire the side in the seventh and earn his first career save.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Michael Cordova (2-1) 5.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO
Losing Pitcher: David Kelliher (0-2) 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO
Save: Tanner Hunley (1) 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS
- Hall gave King the early lead with a single that scored Bonney who singled earlier in the inning.
- King added another run on a UVA Wise miscue, giving King a 2-0 lead.
- Brendan Mascle was solid on the mound in the first two innings as he retired six straight following a leadoff single in the first inning.
- King extended their lead to 5-0 in the top of the second as Roper drove in Chase Hilliard with a double.
- Bonney drove in Preston Steele with a single before a double steal plated another run.
- Bonney scored again in the fourth as he ripped a triple and scored on a Flanagan groundout.
- In the sixth, Roper laced a double and scored on a Bonney single.
- UVA Wise hit a home run in the bottom of the sixth, but King held a 7-1 lead.
- Nic Blankenship entered and retired three of the four batters he faced to give King the 7-1 win.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Luke Hale (1-1) 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
Losing Pitcher: Adam Conrad (0-1) 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO
FOR THE FOES
- UVA Wise had nine hits on the day, coming from nine different players.
- Tyler Campbell drove in two with a home run and Cole Harness drove in one.
- Kyle Hoeth registered a double.
UP NEXT
- King travels to take on 11th-ranked North Greenville University on Friday and Saturday. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. in Tigerville, S.C. with Saturday's doubleheader starting at 12:00 p.m.
- UVA Wise travels to Lenoir-Rhyne University on Friday and Saturday.
