GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The King University baseball team held off a ninth inning rally in edging Tusculum University 3-2 Friday afternoon at Pioneer Park in non-conference action.
The Tornado (11-19) snapped a five-game losing streak while handing the Pioneers (19-15) their five consecutive loss. The two teams will wrap up the three-game weekend series on Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
Friday's encounter was the third meeting this season between the longtime East Tennessee foes. King won February's first meeting 6-5 in Greeneville, while Tusculum won the rematch 13-9 earlier this month in Bristol.
King starting pitcher Rohde Kirkland (3-1) notched his third victory of the season as he went five innings, allowed one run on four hits, with a walk and three strikeouts. King reliever Michael Cordova pitched 2.2 shutout innings before closer Ray Berry took over in the eighth inning.
Tusculum starter Luke Absher (3-1) deserved a better fate as he tossed his first complete game of the season. The junior right-hander allowed three runs on nine hits, posted six strikeouts with zero walks while suffering his first loss of the season. Absher got stronger as the game progressed as he retired the last seven batters of the game in his 120-pitch performance.
Each team plated a run in the second inning before the Tornado regained the lead in the third on Preston Steele's two-out RBI triple.
In the bottom of the fifth, Tusculum catcher Dylan Symonds and centerfielder Tyler Ranel posted back-to-back infield hits to put two runners aboard with one out. Kirkland worked out of the jam with a ground out and an infield pop up to strand the tying run at third base.
In the King half of the seventh inning, Junior Renwick led off with a single and moved to third on Chase Hilliard's hit-and-run single to right field to put runners on the corners with no outs. Cayden Goodwin was called out on strikes when he bunted foul with a 1-2 count. On what would prove to be the play of the game, King's Conner Hyatt flied out to center as both runners tagged up to advance. Ranel's throw to second base was in time to tag out Hilliard to complete the double play. But the final out at second base was ruled to have occurred after Renwick touched home plate to make it a 3-1 game.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Ranel led off with an infield hit and later stole second base. Zane Keener flied out to center which was deep enough to move Ranel to third base. Cordova got Christian Ortega on an infield pop out before hitting Ben Scartz with a pitch to put runners on the corners for Rudy Fernandez. Berry took over on the mound and got a groundout to end the inning.
In the Tusculum ninth inning, Murphy Flood led off with a single. Berry fanned outfielder Luis Reyes looking for the first out of the inning. Will Samuelson drew a walk to move Flood to second base before Berry posted his second strikeout of the inning.
Ranel came through with a base hit to left to bring home Flood to cut the deficit to 3-2. Keener drew a walk to load the bases for Ortega. But Berry got a game ending fielder's choice to secure his third save of the season.
King out-hit the Pioneers by a 9-7 margin as Ethan Hawkins, Renwick and Hilliard all posted two hits apiece. Ranel was the lone Tusculum player with multiple hits as he went 3-for-5 in the contest.
