WILKES-BARRE, PA (Mar. 15, 2024) - - King's College baseball dropped its first Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom game of the season this afternoon to the Devils of FDU-Florham 16-4. Chase Yochem tallied his second home run of the year in the loss as the Monarchs are now 4-7 overall and 0-1 in MAC Freedom play.

King's started the game out with a bang when Yochem sent his homer out of the park in the Monarchs' third at-bat of the game for two RBIs right away. FDU-Florham put its first run on the board in the top of the second from a sacrifice bunt, but it was not enough to catch up to the Monarchs as they kept their lead 2-1 through the bottom of the third inning. Yochem singled to send Wanamaker in for a third King's run just before Yochem advanced to home on a wild pitch followed by a Devils' error. King's ended the inning with a 4-1 lead.

The Devils came back hungry to score in the top of the fourth as they put up seven runs in the inning to take a 9-4 lead. Aaron Santos capped the inning with a three-run home run for FDU-Florham just before they took the field. King's held them to just two runs in the fifth inning when the Devils hit a double for two RBIs to build their lead to 11-4 over the Monarchs.

The Monarchs played tough in the field throughout the sixth and seventh innings to keep the Devils from scoring again. FDU-Florham's bats got hot again in the top of the eighth inning when the Devils hit a triple and a double to score five more runs. Neither team scored in the nineth inning as FDU-Florham ultimately defeated King's 16-4.

Yochem finished the game with 3 RBIs, two hits, and two stolen bases to lead the Monarchs offensively. Jaiden Wanamaker also notched three runs and Caleb Graham had two for himself. Connor Reynolds and Ricky Hynick also tallied two strikeouts each on the mound. 

King's heads to FDU-Florham for a MAC Freedom doubleheader tomorrow, Mar. 16, with the first game starting at noon.