No. 2 Baseball Splits Against Johnson

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.- The baseball split a doubleheader on Saturday. The second-ranked Bulldogs split with the Johnson University Royals, winning the first game of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) doubleheader 13-8 but losing the second one 11-8. 

Game One:

The teams exchanged runs in the first inning. Chris Catalano and Cody McGill hit back-to-back doubles with Catalano scoring on the latter. In the second inning, TWU took the lead. As Corbin Shaw and courtesy-runner Jonathan Bosque stood on base, Catalano hit a double. Shaw scored on the double while Bosque made his way to third. After McGill's hit by pitch, Josh Shelly hit a single that brought in Bosque to give the team a two-run advantage. The team ended their half of the inning with a 4-1 lead as Catalano scored on a Kolton Reynolds fielder's choice. 

A home run in the fourth inning pushed the Bulldogs' lead to 5-2. A five-run fifth inning helped TWU propel their lead further.

Devin Dixon opened the inning with a single and scored on Kruise Newman's double. Shaw hit a that allowed Newman to complete his time on the bases. Shortly after, the bases became loaded with Shaw, Jack Stevens, and McGill occupying the bags. Reynolds relieved the runners of their time on base as his double allowed all three to score, giving the team a 10-4 lead at the end of the top of the seventh.

Kurtis Reid and Dixon helped the team add insurance runs in the ninth inning. Reid hit a single that brought in Shelly while Dixon doubled, helping Reynolds and Reid both score as the team ended the game with a 13-8 win.

Reynolds led the team with four RBIs. Daniel Batcher pitched 5.2 innings while striking out five batters in the win.

Game Two:

In the second game, Tennessee Wesleyan scored six runs in the first inning. Catalano and Daniel Stewart stood on base as Reynold belted a ball over the wall, giving the team a 3-0 lead. After McGill's single, Dixon hit a triple to bring in McGill, while a ground out on Newman's at-bat allowed Dixon to score. Shaw ended the scoring in the top of the first with a solo home run. The inning ended with the Bulldogs leading 6-1. The second inning saw Johnson score three runs to cut the lead down to two runs.

Dixon got one of the runs back in the form of a solo home run in the top of the third. The opponents tied the game 7-7 though with three runs in the bottom of the third. 

Catalano broke the tie with a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning. The lead did not last for TWU as Johnson scored four more runs to give them the 11-8 win.

Reynolds led the team with three RBIs while Dixon finished with two RBIs.

The schedule keeps the Bulldogs (19-5, 9-3 AAC) on the road for their next game, a non-conference matchup against Cumberland University. The game is set to begin at 3:00 p.m., ET.