BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University baseball team hit a pair of home runs Wednesday afternoon, but a seven-run fourth inning was the difference, as the Tornado fell to Emory & Henry 16-11 in a nonconference game.
THE BASICS:
FINAL SCORE: Emory & Henry 16, King 11
LOCATION: King Baseball Field
KING HIGHLIGHTS
- Michael Starrs and Josh Nuno hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth, with Starrs finishing 3-for-4, while Nuno was 1-for-4 with three RBI.
- Joe Amunategui III was 3-for-5, with a double and two RBI on the afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Wasps took an early 3-0 lead, scoring a run in the first and two in the second.
- In the third, King responded with five runs, including RBI hits from Jose Ruiz, Levi Medford, Amunategui III and Nuno, with Amunategui III and Ruiz both hitting doubles.
- After a seven-run fourth by the Wasps, they added another run in the fifth, taking a 11-5 advantage.
- In the fifth, Amunategui III hit a one-out single, scoring when Starrs hit his home run to left center field. Nuno then stepped up to the plate and hit a solo home run, also hitting it to left center field to bring King to within 11-8.
- Daniel Hicks then was hit by a pitch, advancing to second on a wild pitch before scoring when Ruiz singled to center field, making the score 11-9.
- Nuno picked up another RBI in the sixth, hitting a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing Medford to score and making it a one-run ballgame.
- In the seventh, Truman Roper led off with a double, scoring on a balk to tie the game at 11.
- Emory & Henry went on to score three runs in the eighth and two in the ninth for the 16-11 win.
FOR THE FOES
- Jaret Hoppes was 4-for-5, with three RBI and two runs scored, while Matt Hill also had three RBI on the day, along with two hits and a pair of walks.
- Zack McRae, John McCarthy and Brady Halstead all had scoreless relief appearances.
OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher: Avery Salyer (1-0) 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
Losing Pitcher: Connor Haynes (0-2) 2.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
UP NEXT
- King will return to Conference Carolinas play Friday when they host Chowan for the start of a three-game series. The teams will play a doubleheader Friday starting a 1:00 p.m. before closing the series Saturday afternoon.
