KINGSPORT, Tenn. (May 3, 2023) – On Wednesday, the No. 4 seed Truett McConnell University baseball team traveled to Kingsport, Tenn. for the opening round of the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament against No. 5 Union College. The Bear's early lead was ultimately not enough for the Bulldog's offensive fire (4-10). TMU falls to a record of 33-15, 17-10 AAC, while the Bulldogs rise to a record of 27-17, 15-12 AAC.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
The Bulldogs captured an early lead over the Bears, scoring one run on two hits in the top of the first inning. TMU responded immediately with a lead-off solo shot from Matthew Redmond to tie the score (1-1). A walk for Mikal Mascarello, Andrew Johnston, and Jordan Kenty loaded the bases followed by a well-executed ball from Ethan Roberts to give the Bears an early lead (1-2). The Bulldogs were relentless, scoring five runs on five hits through the top of the fifth inning until a single from Tanner Griffith and Kenty put runners in scoring position once again (6-2). A clutch Roberts single to right field pushed another run across to cut the deficit in half (6-3). The Bulldogs were seen capitalizing on defensive errors and adding to their lead through the top of the seventh (8-3). The bottom of the seventh featured a lead-off double from Kenty and a Jake Edwards single to right field paired with a Jakob Karvelas sacrifice fly (8-4). The Bulldogs tacked on two more runs in the top of the ninth on two hits, leaving TMU to fall short (10-4).

LEADERS
Kenty led the way offensively, going 2-4 at the plate with one run while Karvelas was 2-4 with one RBI. Redmond was seen going 1-4 with one RBI and one run while Roberts was 1-5 with two RBIs.

UP NEXT
The Bears remain in Kingsport, Tenn. for the second round of AAC Tournament play in an elimination game. Game time is set for 12:00 p.m.