WILKES-BARRE, PA (April 16, 2024) - - Despite a King's College baseball's offensive surge in the sixth and seventh innings of this afternoon's game against the Pacers of Marywood University, the Monarchs came up just short 14-10 at home on Lipo Field in a non-conference match up. Chase Yochem led the Monarchs with a big day at the plate going four-for-five with a double, five RBIs and two runs. After today's game, King's is now 9-18 overall this season as Marywood advances to 17-8.

Yochem kicked things off early on for King's picking up two RBIs off of singles to center field in both the first and second innings to give the Monarchs the 2-0 lead headed into the top of the third inning. The Pacers then stepped to the plate ready with an answer however and scored four runs, including two from a two-RBI single by AJ Giannetti. Marywood added a fifth run in the fourth inning off an Adam Ginsberg double to get ahead 5-2.

After a scoreless fifth inning, both teams recorded up runs in the sixth. Marywood earned four in the top of the inning of back-to-back doubles. Yochem responded with a double of his own in the bottom of the inning for two more RBIs after sending Jaiden Wanamaker and Zach Day home to score. After Nick Ciszak hit a single to advance Yochem to third, Brennen Schneider sent a sacrifice fly to left field that allowed Yochem to reach home and bring the Monarchs to just a 9-5 deficit. 

Both teams continued to bring their offensive momentum from the sixth inning into the seventh as the Pacers brought home three more runs in the top of the inning, including two from Joel Ayers who sent a home run out of the park, to advance to 12-5 over King's. The Monarchs entered the bottom of the inning unphased though and answered with five runs of their own. After Zach Jenkins and Jacob Sutton both earn hits to get on base, Wanamaker walked to load the bases just in time for Day to single out to right field for two RBIs. Yochem followed suit and singled to third base for King's third run of the inning. Kevin Kullman then stepped up to the plate to pinch hit and loaded the bases once again. Schneider then notched a two-run single down the left side to bring King's within two runs of the Pacers at 12-10.

The top of the eighth inning brought a surge of energy for King's as the Monarchs erupted from the dugout after Day got on the mound to pitch and struck out the first batter, his own younger brother Thomas Day, who is a first-year infielder for Marywood. After a short inning in the field, the Monarchs struggled to get on base as well in the bottom of the inning, resulting in a scoreless inning for both teams.

The Pacers came back in the top of the nineth to score two more runs, putting them up 14-10, but unfortunately the Monarchs were unable to do the same going three-up-three-down to close out the game. 

Despite the loss, multiple Monarchs contributed big plays throughout the game. Sutton went four-for-five at the plate and scored two runs, in addition to Schneider adding three RBIs, Day earning two runs and two RBIs, and Wanamaker scoring three runs. Matt Masala and Zach Day both had season-best days on the mound tallying four strikeouts each to throw eight out of the Monarchs' 11 total. 

King's takes the field again on Friday, April 19, when the Monarchs travel to MAC Freedom opponent RV Arcadia University for the first of a three-game series with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 pm. King's returns to Lipo Field for Senior Day the following day, Saturday April 20, to close out the conference series against the Knights with a doubleheader starting at noon.