Royals Fall to Bryan in AAC Series Opener

DAYTON, TN— The Royals opened their Appalachian Athletic Conference series at Bryan College on Friday night with a 17–4 loss at Senter Field.

Johnson jumped out to an early lead, scoring in each of the first three innings. The Royals struck first in the opening frame when Travis Hobbensiefken lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home JJ Menesini for a 1–0 lead.

The Royals added another run in the second when Izaak Fernandez launched a solo home run to center field, extending the advantage to 2–0. Johnson continued the early momentum in the third inning as Fernandez delivered again, this time with a sacrifice fly that scored Hobbensiefken to make it 3–0.

Bryan responded with a big inning in the bottom of the third, scoring five runs to take the lead. The Lions continued to apply pressure offensively throughout the game, adding two more runs in the fourth and extending their advantage in the later innings to pull away for the 17–4 victory.

Johnson added its final run in the sixth inning when Luke Wilson tripled and drove in Christian Altamirano, cutting the deficit to 7–4 before Bryan scored nine unanswered runs across the sixth and seventh innings to put the game out of reach.

Wilson led the Royals at the plate with three hits and an RBI, while Fernandez recorded two RBIs including the solo home run. Altamirano and Grayson Shehan also added hits as Johnson finished with seven hits in the contest.

On the mound, Colby Reynolds started for the Royals and worked three innings before the bullpen took over. Asher Abrahams, Brooks Bird, and Logan Fiene each saw time in relief as Bryan totaled 13 hits and five home runs in the game.

Following the loss, head coach Dave Serrano pointed to command on the mound and limiting free passes as key factors in the game.

"I think the score is an easy indication of how tonight's game went," Serrano said. "We knew this was an offensive ballpark and we didn't do a good enough job of pitching ahead in the count."

Serrano also noted that the difference came down to the number of free passes allowed by the Royals.

"A big difference in the game was the free passes we allowed compared to them," Serrano said. "It's a loss and we move on, looking to still win the series tomorrow."

The Royals will look to bounce back on Saturday as the series continues against Bryan College in AAC play.