MARCH 5, 2018

MONARCHS FALL TO FONTBONNE 6-4

AUBURNDALE, FL --- The King's College baseball team saw a late rally fall just short in a 6-4 loss to Fontbonne University on Monday afternoon at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale, Florida.

King's, which was playing their third game in a 24-hour span to begin the season, fall to 0-3 while Fontbonne improves to 4-5.

The game started out as a pitcher's duel in the first three innings as neither team was able to score. King's had their best opportunity in the first when Christian Pack doubled down the left field line and then was moved over to third with two outs. However, he was stranded there as the Griffins were able to force a ground ball to get out of the inning. Fontbonne put runners on the corners with one out in the bottom of the inning but Billy Neill struck out two straight to get out unscathed.

The Griffins were finally able to break through with an unearned run in the fourth. After a muffed throw on a grounder to short, The Griffins loaded the bases with no outs on back-to-back singles. Tyler Grimes then knocked in the run on a fielder's choice to second. After a walk to reload the bases Neill got out of bases-loaded jam with a double-play grounder to short that Pack took himself and then threw to first for the final out.

The Monarchs threatened to score in the fifth when Matt Mellinger hit a leadoff single and then Kyle Friebolin reached on a throwing error by the shortstop. Sean Padden then sacrificed the runners to second and third with one out. Sean McKee hit a high bouncing ball to short in which Mellinger was thrown out at home trying to score. The Griffins got out of the inning with another groundout to keep the score at one.

Fontbonne loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning on three singles. Evan Siegler drew a four-pitch walk to score a run. After Neill struck out a batter the Griffins scored a run on a wild pitch and then two more on a single to right. The Monarchs brought in Alex Bruneio who forced a fly out to right for the final out of the inning.

King's got on the board in the sixth when Chris Rebar got hit by a pitch and then Kyle Lupas and Bruce Breithaupt drew back-to-back walks to load the bases with one out. Mellinger drove in one run with a single to left and then Friebolin singled to right to knock in a second run. The Griffins were able to get two fly balls to get out of the inning with no more damage.

Fontbonne added an insurance run in the seventh without putting the ball in play while drawing four walks. After the fourth walk, Landon La Bar relieved Bruneio and got a strikeout on three pitches to end the inning.

Lupas led off the eighth with a single to left followed by Breithaupt hitting the fence in right for a double. Friebolin knocked both of them in with a massive shot to left that hit halfway up the fence for a double. The Monarchs were then the recipients of a little bad luck as Sean Padden hit a rope to third that the third baseman was able to snag and then double off Friebolin at second for the final out of the inning.

Shawn Stone led off the ninth with a pinch-hit single but the Griffins got two groundballs and a strikeout to end the game.

Kyle Friebolin led the Monarchs with two hits in four at-bats while driving in three runs. Matt Mellinger also had two hits and drove in one. Kyle Lupas got on base twice and scored both times. Billy Neill pitched 4.2 innings and allowed five runs, four earned, on eight hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Alex Bruneio pitched two innings in relief allowing one run on one hit and four walks. Landon La Bar had an impressive collegiate debut collecting the final four outs on 16 pitches.

The Monarchs will be back in action early Tuesday morning back at the Lake Myrtle Complex when they take on Penn State Abington at 9:00 a.m.