KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Montreat College baseball team went on the road for the start of an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) series against the No. 4-ranked Johnson University Royals on Friday evening. The Cavaliers lost the first game of the weekend set in seven innings, falling by a final score of 13-0. As a result of the contest, the Cavs now hold a 28-16 (12-10 AAC) record, while the Royals improved to 34-7 (18-3 AAC).
Montreat trailed early as Johnson took advantage of a pair of defensive miscues, bringing two runs across in the first to grab a 2-0 lead. The following frame saw JU add to its advantage, as a collection of base hits helped bring in three more runs, making the score 5-0 after two.
Justin Austin led off the third with a double, but the Cavaliers were unable to send him home. The fourth inning was where the Royals pulled away, scoring seven runs on five hits and five walks. Thirteen men came to the plate and contributed to expanding the hosts' edge out to 12-0.
Johnson tacked on an extra run in the sixth, pushing the lead to 13-0. Meanwhile, the Cavs couldn't cut into the deficit during the ensuing half inning, causing the game to come an end after seven frames.
Bryton Williams started on the bump for Montreat, pitching 3 1/3 innings, allowing 10 hits and 10 runs, with eight of those being earned. The Hudson, Fla. native also struck out and walked a pair. Julian Tellez followed, recording just one out while issuing four walks, one hit and two runs. Dawson Yokley provided 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, surrendering just one hit and striking out two. Daniel Paton closed the contest, conceding two hits and one run across his inning of work. Paton punched out a pair of batters as well.
Tommy Ramos delivered a hit in one of his two trips to the dish. Austin made an impact with the squad's other two knocks, including a double. Dawson Bryant drew a walk to reach base once, and Parker Giglio was hit by a pitch.
Up next, Montreat finishes its three-game AAC series against Johnson tomorrow afternoon. The doubleheader begins at 12 p.m. in Knoxville, Tenn.
