KNOXVILLE, Tenn.— The Montreat baseball team began a three-game series against the 19
th-ranked Johnson University Royals Friday afternoon in Knoxville, Tenn. Squaring off in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play, the Cavaliers landed on the wrong side of a 6-4 final score, falling to 13-17 (6-7 AAC) as a result.
Pitchers dominated the matchup throughout the early going. Johnson (20-6, 10-3 AAC) kept the Cavs off the basepaths until the third frame, while
Merritt Evans hurled a pair of 1-2-3 innings during the second and third.
Each team scored a run in the fourth. During the top half of the frame,
Jaider Morelos roped a double before coming around to score on
Tommy Ramos' sacrifice fly. Meanwhile, the Royals tallied a solo blast to knot the contest at 1-1.
A pair of crooked numbers helped the hosts claim the ballgame. Johnson scored three runs on four hits, two of which were triples, in the sixth. The Royals tacked on two additional runs in the seventh, vaulting themselves out to a 6-1 lead.
The Cavaliers applied pressure during the top of the ninth, and they managed to bring the tying run to the plate.
Kaden Ethier brought home
Blake Watts via an RBI single, and both
Daniel Wagner and
Connor Goff scored thanks to wild pitches; however, with a man on third and the tying run at the dish, Johnson's closer registered back-to-back strikeouts to preserve a 6-4 victory.
"We played well today, but the few mistakes we made really hurt us," said head coach
Jason Beck. "We fought back at the end but just ran out of gas. Tomorrow, we need to capitalize on the situations that we can control."
Evans went six innings in his start, allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out five.
Trevor Laughlin and
Jayden Hughes each notched a frame in relief. Hughes' outing proved to be scoreless.
Both squads totaled nine hits. Morelos, Watts and Ethier each recorded two knocks. Both of Morelos' hits went for extra bases.
Montreat and Johnson continue their series tomorrow with a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. in Knoxville, Tenn.