WILKES-BARRE, PA (April 8, 2019) – The Monarch baseball team will look to rebound from a tough loss with a non-conference game against Clarks Summit on Tuesday at Lipo Field.
 
Event Details
Opponent: vs Clarks Summit University (2-12, 0-2 CSAC)
Date: Tuesday April 8, 2019
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Wilkes-Barre, PA – Lipo Field (Directions)
Live Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)
 
Last Time Out: The Monarchs had eight of their nine starters record a hit but five unearned runs in the fourth were the difference in a 14-10 loss at Delaware Valley on Sunday. KC used a pair of great pitching performances by Colby Toth and Dan Hartson to sweep a doubleheader from the Aggies on Saturday. Clarks Summit opened conference play with a pair of losses at Wilson College on Saturday. The Phoenix won by scores on 9-0 and 4-2. The Defenders were shutout until scoring two runs in the top of the seventh of game two on RBI by Joshua Knight and Ryan Clark.
 
The Book On The Monarchs (10-13, 7-5 MAC Freedom):

• King's is 7-1 at Lipo Field this year and are hitting an impressive .345 as a team on their home field. The Monarchs have outscored teams 52-26 including an 8-4 victory over the Defenders a few weeks ago.
• The Monarchs scored seven unanswered runs against CSU back on March 20th. Mike Armstrong had a career game with four hits, two RBI, and a run scored while Cooper Johnson fired 7.2 innings of four-hit ball out of the pen to shut down the Defenders. Tyler Reynolds hit his first home run of the year to give KC the lead in the sixth inning.
• Matt Mellinger is on record setting pace with 25 RBI this year including 12 at Lipo Field. The sophomore has hit the ball well all year and seems to come up with a big hit every time the Monarchs need one. He is batting .356 with six doubles overall and a team-leading .517 at Lipo Field.
• Christian Pack moved up to the fourth on the modern era school career hit list with three hits on Sunday. The senior has 172 in his career including 31 this year. Pack can move into third this week with three more hits. The shortstop had a career high five RBI on Sunday in back-to-back innings as he came up with a single and a triple with the bases loaded in the sixth and seventh.
• Dan Hartson has also been seeing the ball very well this year with a .409 average. The senior leads the team with 38 hits this season including nine doubles. King's other senior captain, Sean McKee hit .455 last week with five hits in 11 at-bats to raise his season average to .267.
• Jonathan Hoyt was great in three games last week for the Monarchs hitting .429 in seven at-bats. The junior is batting .333 in 12 games including six starts this season. Mike Armstrong is batting .500 this year in eight games and made the most of his opportunity to start his fourth game of the year on Sunday with a 1-for-3 day and two runs scored.
• The Monarchs have a staff ERA of 7.25 but have pitched exceptionally at Lipo Field with an ERA of 2.80 in eight games.
• 18 different pitchers have saw innings on the hill this season. Cooper Johnson pitched very well out of the pen against the Defenders a couple of weeks ago and could be available for the Monarchs after pitching just an inning-plus yesterday.  

The Book On The Defenders (2-12, 0-2 CSAC):

• Clarks Summit is looking to stop a four-game losing skid and their first win against King's in 12 tries since 2010 after taking a 4-1 lead on the Monarchs earlier this season.
• CSU is hitting just .225 as a team and have been outscored 161-54 this year.
• The Defenders are led by catcher Ryan Clark with a .381 average and nine RBI. The sophomore bats fourth in the order and has 16 hits including a double and a triple this year.
• Spencer Propst was the losing pitcher earlier this year giving up five runs on eight hits in 2.1 innings pitched. The freshman also hits for CSU and is batting .308 in 13 at-bats.
• Andreas Bailey is hitting .300 and has scored 11 runs out of the second spot in the batting order.  
• Kegan Laman leads the pitching staff with a 3.75 ERA in seven appearances out of the pen. The junior struck out one and didn't allow a hit in 1.2 innings against the Monarchs earlier this year. He is 1-0 with one save in 12 innings pitched.
• The Defenders have a staff ERA of 12.28 in 96 innings. Jacob Leisinger kept the Monarchs off balance for four innings a few weeks ago as the freshman left the game after the fourth with a 4-3 lead. Leisinger is 0-2 on the season with a 12.32 ERA in 19 innings. His final line against the Monarchs was a no-decision in four innings with three runs allowed, two earned, on six hits, a walk, and one strikeout.

Up Next: King's will have a big series against Wilkes University this weekend as they look to inch closer to qualifying for the MAC Freedom Tournament. The Monarchs will host the Colonels on Friday at 3:30 pm before traveling across the bridge to Artillery Park on Saturday for a 1 PM doubleheader.