Tornado Drop Friday Doubleheader to Francis Marion, Look to Salvage Series in Saturday Finale

Bristol, Tenn. — King University baseball showed flashes of explosive offense and resilience throughout Friday's doubleheader, but nationally ranked Francis Marion proved too strong, taking both games to secure the weekend series. The Tornado (13–35) fell 4–2 in Game One and 15–8 in a high-scoring Game Two matchup, despite multiple standout individual performances and several momentum-building innings.

King will have one more opportunity to respond when the teams return to the King Baseball Complex on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

GAME ONE: Francis Marion 4, King 2

Tornado Strike Early Before Patriots Rally Late

King opened the day with a sharp start, scoring twice in the bottom of the first inning:

• Kenny Hirschfeld executed a sacrifice bunt that brought home Jose Ruiz.
• Adrian Vidal followed with a double down the left-field line, scoring Kale Richardson for a 2–0 lead.

The Tornado held that advantage into the sixth behind a strong outing from Ben Hale, who allowed just three earned runs over 5.2 innings.

But Francis Marion broke through in the sixth, scoring three runs—two on a fielder's choice from Jimmy Koza and another on an RBI single by Charlie Bussey III—to take a 3–2 lead. The Patriots added insurance in the ninth on a sacrifice fly from Ethan McAnally, sealing the 4–2 win.

Game One Offensive Leaders – King

• Adrian Vidal: 2-for-3, RBI double
• Jose Ruiz: 1-for-3, run
• Logan Janney: 1-for-3
• Kenny Hirschfeld: RBI sacrifice bunt

GAME TWO: Francis Marion 15, King 8

Offensive Fireworks Highlight High-Scoring Battle

Game Two featured a dramatic offensive showcase from both teams, combining for 23 runs and 28 hits.

King again jumped ahead early:

• Logan Janney tripled to center to score Justin Smith.
• Kale Richardson lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 2–0.

But Francis Marion responded with a four-run second inning—fueled entirely by unearned runs—and added another in the third to take a 5–2 lead.

Back-and-Forth Middle Innings

King trimmed the deficit to 5–3 on a sacrifice fly from Misael Garcia, but the Patriots erupted for four more unearned runs in the fourth, extending the lead to 9–3.

The Tornado answered with a four-run surge in the fifth:

• Jacob Eargle singled home two runs.
• Christopher Rosario tripled to left to score Eargle.
• Justin Smith added a sacrifice fly to bring home Rosario.

The rally cut the deficit to 10–8 and brought the home crowd to life.

Patriots Pull Away Late

Francis Marion delivered the decisive blow in the seventh:

• Charlie Bussey III homered to lead off the inning.
• Brandon Vargas cleared the bases with a three-RBI triple.
• Vargas later scored on a defensive miscue to cap a five-run frame.

Reliever Jafet Martinez Delgado closed the door with 2.2 scoreless innings to earn the save.

Game Two Offensive Leaders – King

• Justin Smith: 2-for-3, 2 runs, RBI
• Logan Janney: 2-for-4, RBI triple
• Kale Richardson: 2-for-2, RBI
• Jacob Eargle: 2-for-4, 2 RBI
• Christopher Rosario: RBI triple, run

Series Recap: Patriots Clinch, but Tornado Show Fight

Across both games, King displayed:

• Strong early-inning offense
• Multi-hit performances from Janney, Richardson, Smith, Eargle, and Vidal
• A four-run rally in Game Two that nearly flipped momentum
• Competitive energy despite facing one of the region's top teams

However, Francis Marion's timely hitting, aggressive baserunning, and ability to capitalize on defensive miscues proved decisive.

Up Next

King and Francis Marion return to action Saturday at 1:00 p.m. for the series finale at the King Baseball Complex.