Royals Sweep Pioneers in Road Doubleheader, Clinch Series Win

SPARTANBURG, SC– The Royals continued their strong start to the season Saturday afternoon, sweeping a doubleheader from Spartanburg Methodist at Mooneyham Field to secure the series victory. The Royals took game one, 13-5, before erupting for an 18-7 win in game two.

With the pair of wins, Johnson improves to 15-1 overall and 7-0 in AAC play.

Game One – Johnson 13, Spartanburg Methodist 5

After falling behind 3-1 in the opening frame, the Royals responded immediately with a six-run second inning to seize control of the game.

Johnson pounded out 13 hits in the contest, highlighted by a big day from Travis Hobbensiefken, who drove in three runs and wreaked havoc on the bases. Austin Menesini and Edwin Olmeda Jr. each homered, while Matt Newton added three RBIs, including a two-run double in the eighth that helped put the game out of reach.

Luke Wilson sparked the offense at the top of the order, scoring four runs and swiping five bases as Johnson consistently pressured the Pioneer defense.

On the mound, Colby Reynolds earned the win, moving to 4-0 on the year after tossing 6.1 innings with seven strikeouts. Bodey Yates and Kilian deMayo combined to close out the final 2.2 innings and secure the opener.

Game Two – Johnson 18, Spartanburg Methodist 7

If game one showcased timely offense, game two demonstrated just how explosive this Royals lineup can be.

Johnson plated four runs in the first, three more in the fourth, and erupted for seven runs in the fifth on its way to 18 runs on 14 hits. Christian Altamirano delivered one of the biggest swings of the day, launching a three-run homer and finishing with five RBIs. Grayson Shehan, JJ Menesini, and Izaak Fernandez each collected extra-base hits as the Royals piled up runs in nearly every inning.

Tyler Barfield improved to 5-0 on the mound, striking out eight over five strong innings while allowing just one run. The bullpen provided complementary work to help finish off the victory.

Head coach Dave Serrano was pleased with the overall effort but emphasized the need for continued growth.

"Overall it was a good day for the team. Offensively we did many good things and some guys had some big days at the plate. We, again, got very good starting pitching out of Reynolds and Barfield with complimentary relief work out of the bullpen," Serrano said.
"I didn't like how we finished game two from the defensive side of things along with the walks we allowed. We must keep working to play cleaner games until the last out. Physical errors will always happen in this game of baseball but I felt our mental collapse, late, led to the physical mistakes."

Hitting and infield coach Mason Graves credited the recent offensive surge to discipline and daily preparation.

"The offensive performances as of late are just a result of being disciplined to the approach we take during batting practice everyday," Graves said. "The guys are starting to buy into taking quality, team-oriented at bats and it is showing. In order to keep improving and having success, we need to be able to put it all together and be as clean defensively as we want to be even when the offense is rolling and giving the run support."

Johnson will look to complete the series sweep tomorrow afternoon. Game three is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST on March 1 at Spartanburg Methodist.