Royals Sweep Doubleheader, Complete AAC Series Sweep Over Pikeville

KNOXVILLE, TN— The Royals completed an Appalachian Athletic Conference series sweep of the University of Pikeville on Saturday, earning 7–1 wins in both games of the doubleheader.

Before game one, a moment of silence was held following the pregame prayer to honor Denise Hobbensiefken, mother of Royals outfielder Travis Hobbensiefken, who passed away earlier this week after a battle with cancer. The moment set the tone for a meaningful day at the ballpark.

In game one, the Royals struck early as Travis Hobbensiefken drove in Luke Wilson with an RBI double. Johnson added to the lead with a sacrifice fly from Braden Frank and an RBI single from Mitchell Birdsall to make it 3–0.

On the mound, Jacob Jacome delivered a strong outing with seven shutout innings. The Royals extended their lead in the sixth on an RBI single from Birdsall and a run driven in by Izaak Fernandez. JJ Menesini added an RBI in the seventh, and Grayson Shehan helped tack on another late as Johnson secured the 7–1 win.

Game two followed a similar script. Hobbensiefken opened the scoring again with an RBI single in the first inning. After Pikeville tied the game in the third, Johnson responded with a five-run fourth inning, highlighted by a run-scoring single from Christian Altamirano and capitalizing on defensive miscues.

The Royals added one more in the sixth and relied on Tyler Barfield's five-inning start, allowing just one unearned run. Andrew Uharriet and Kaleb Townsend closed out the game to complete the sweep.

Following the sweep, head coach Dave Serrano emphasized both the results and the meaning behind the weekend.

"Well, obviously, I'm thrilled with the sweep. Anytime you get a sweep, it's a big deal… but this weekend, honestly, was bigger than baseball. This was about Denise Hobbensiefken and Travis… I think the focus our team played with, the togetherness they played with, was a result of their love for Travis and the loss of Denise… When someone gets knocked down like Travis did, we come together… that's a great sign of a truly unified team."

Hobbensiefken also reflected on the support he's received.

"It was a very special day… the moment of silence was awesome… there's so much support here in East Tennessee… everybody's been here for me… it's a really hard time and they're making it a lot easier on me."

With the sweep, the Royals continue to build momentum in AAC play as they move forward in conference competition.