Royals Take Down #2 Tennessee Wesleyan in Series Opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
#2 Tennessee Wesleyan
|
0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 0 |
|
Johnson (TN)
|
1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 6 | 9 | 1 |
KNOXVILLE, TN– The Royals continued their impressive run with a 6-3 victory over #2 Tennessee Wesleyan on Friday night, taking game one of the highly anticipated conference series. The Royals executed in all phases of the game, combining strong pitching, timely hitting, and solid defense to earn the statement win.
Head coach Dave Serrano praised his team's all-around performance. "Another really good day for our program. That was another good baseball game. I mean, whenever you can walk away from a game and know that all three phases worked—you pitched well, you played tremendous offense, and you played tremendous defense—you know a lot of times things are going to go our way. That's a very good traditional program. Just like we did on Tuesday, we showed we belong at this level."
Game Recap
The Royals set the tone early, scoring in the first inning and breaking the game open with a three-run third inning to take control. Tennessee Wesleyan cut the deficit, but Johnson answered with key insurance runs in the fifth and sixth to secure the win.
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Luke Wilson had a big night at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double, two stolen bases, and an RBI.
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Travis Hobbensiefken added a hit, an RBI, and a stolen base.
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Braden Frank drove in two crucial runs.
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Cade Liefer contributed an RBI double.
On the mound, Colby Reynolds was dominant, tossing seven innings, allowing just two earned runs while striking out six. He credited his defense for making big plays behind him. "Good win today. Gotta thank God, first off, everybody behind me. Big team win for us. People making big plays behind me, that was a lot of fun. It's a big win for Johnson, big win for us, and we try to keep building on this, and then take it into tomorrow."
Garrett Borst closed the game with two scoreless innings, earning the save while striking out two.
Looking Ahead
With the series-opening win, the Royals (now 6-1 in conference play) look to carry their momentum into Saturday's doubleheader. Coach Serrano stressed the importance of staying focused. "I want them to be excited that we won, but I also want them to know that's just game one. We still have two more games tomorrow to continue to establish what we're trying to do."
For updates and upcoming games, visit JohnsonRoyals.com.