KINGSPORT, Tenn.— The Montreat baseball team traveled to Kingsport, Tenn. Tuesday evening for its first 2025 WinWon Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Baseball Tournament matchup. Playing as the No. 10 seed, the Cavaliers took on the third-seeded and 18^th-ranked Johnson University Royals at Hunter Wright Stadium. Designated as the home team, the Royals jumped out to an early lead and rode that momentum to an 8-0 win, dropping the Cavs to 20-31 (11-19 AAC) in the process.
 
Montreat got a runner to third during the top half of the first frame, but it was unable to cash in on the opportunity. Meanwhile, Johnson (34-14, 21-9 AAC) scored multiple runs in three of the initial four innings.
 
A solo shot and a two-run double had the Royals in front, 3-0, through one. Two unearned runs in the second and two earned runs in the fourth expanded the home side's edge to 7-0 midway through the contest. Johnson tacked on one more in the bottom of the sixth, extending its advantage to eight.
 
Jaider Morelos notched a double in the fourth, and he followed Zeb Marquis' sixth inning double with an infield single; however, those proved to be the Cavaliers' final knocks of the night. The Royals held Montreat hitless across the final few frames as they closed out an 8-0 triumph.
 
Merritt Evans went two innings in his start on the mound. The Rincon, Ga. native allowed five runs, three of which were earned, on six hits. Nick Kantzavelos, Logan Strickland, Jayden Hughes and Donovan Parker combined to hurl the final six frames. Hughes tossed two scoreless innings, while Parker also kept Johnson off the board in the eighth.
 
Morelos reached base safely three times with a pair of hits and a walk. Marquis tallied the Cavs' other knock, while Daniel Wagner drew a free pass on four balls.
 
With the defeat, Montreat now faces eighth-seeded St. Andrews University in an elimination game tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. at Hunter Wright Stadium in Kingsport, Tenn.