Royals Rally Late to Defeat Union Commonwealth, Improve to 10-1

KNOXVILLE, TN — The Royals battled back from an early deficit Tuesday afternoon to defeat AAC opponent Union Commonwealth 10-7 in a nonconference matchup, improving to 10-1 on the season.

The Bulldogs struck first, capitalizing on a pair of early miscues to score three unearned runs in the opening inning before adding four more in the second to grab a 7-5 advantage. The Royals responded quickly in the bottom of the first. JJ Menesini jumpstarted the offense with an RBI triple, and Braden Frank delivered the big swing of the inning with a two-run home run to even the score at 3-3. Johnson would push across two more runs in the frame to take a 5-3 lead before Union regained control in the second.

After the rocky start, the Royals' pitching staff settled in and flipped the momentum of the game. A. Abrahams provided two scoreless innings in relief, helping stabilize the tempo and keep Union from extending its lead. Brandon Bell followed with two shutout frames of his own, while Logan Fiene earned the win with a clean inning of work. Andrew Uharriet then closed the door in the ninth to secure his second save of the season.

Offensively, Johnson made the most of limited hits, finishing with seven on the day but drawing 10 walks and capitalizing on key opportunities. Frank led the way with three RBIs, while JJ Menesini added extra-base power and timely production. The Royals tied the game at 7-7 in the fifth inning before breaking through in the eighth, plating three runs to take control for good. RBI groundouts from Jaden Rez and Jesse Rojas highlighted the decisive frame.

Despite the victory, Head Coach Dave Serrano made it clear that the performance leaves room for growth.

"For the sake of winning the game it was a successful day, in regard to how we performed wasn't what's going to sustain success over the long haul," Serrano said. "I don't think we were ready to play from the first pitch and I will take the blame for that. We were a step behind in all areas which resulted in us having to play catch up. I really believe the tempo and rhythm of the game changed in Abrahams' second inning and the momentum stayed on our side the rest of the game. We fought to come out on top which was good but we will need to continue to keep working to get better."

Johnson now turns its attention back to conference play with a three-game AAC series against Bluefield. The series will begin Thursday at 4 p.m. at Russell Morgan Field before shifting to Kingsport, Tenn., for a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 12 p.m.