Royals Drop Midweek Battle at Milligan, Turn Focus to Crucial AAC Series

MILLIGAN, TN– In a back-and-forth non-conference battle on Tuesday afternoon, the No. 18 Royals came up just short on the road, falling 7-5 to Milligan University at Anglin Field. Despite a late push and multiple strong performances at the plate, the Royals couldn't overcome a pair of late-inning rallies by the Buffs.

With the loss, Johnson drops to 27-10 on the season but remains in first in the Appalachian Athletic Conference with a 16-5 league record. The Royals now look ahead to a major home series against AAC opponent St. Andrews this weekend.

Milligan opened the scoring in the first, but the Royals chipped away with runs in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. Johnson briefly tied the game in the top of the seventh, only for Milligan to answer with two runs in the bottom half and tack on another in the eighth to seal the win.

Travis Hobbensiefken continued his strong stretch of play, going 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Braden Frank drove in a run with an RBI double, and Bryson Shown also had two hits, including a double and a run scored. Luke Wilson added two hits and scored once, while Cade Liefer reached base twice with a hit and a walk.

On the mound, the Royals used six pitchers in a bullpen-heavy approach. Nathan Hoffman made the start but lasted just two-thirds of an inning, and Kaleb Townsend (0-1) took the loss after allowing two runs in the seventh. Rhys Thomas, Austin Sykes, Jacob Claiborne, and Seth Bougher all contributed in middle relief.

Head coach Dave Serrano reflected on the effort and the lessons moving forward:

"We've been playing a lot of high-level baseball, and I think today was one of those games where we just didn't execute as cleanly as we needed to. The effort was there—we had quality at-bats, and we kept fighting—but we made a few mistakes that you can't afford to make against a good team like Milligan. I told the guys after the game that we have to learn from this and turn the page quickly. We've got a big series coming up this weekend, and I know this group will be ready to respond."

The Royals now turn their attention to a critical AAC showdown with St. Andrews, who enters the series at 19-14 overall and 9-11 in conference play. Johnson will host the Knights for a three-game set beginning Friday, April 11 at 3 p.m., followed by a Saturday doubleheader on April 12 starting at noon.