Royals Drop Doubleheader at No. 2 Georgia Gwinnett, Fall in Series Finale

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA— The Royals battled throughout Saturday's doubleheader against No. 2 Georgia Gwinnett but came up short in both contests, falling 14–11 in game two and 7–3 in game three to drop the non-conference series 1–2.

In game two, the Royals found themselves in a back-and-forth offensive battle with one of the top teams in the country. Georgia Gwinnett jumped out early, but Johnson responded in the second inning when Austin Menesini drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game at 1–1.

The Royals erupted for five runs in the third inning, highlighted by an RBI single from Travis Hobbensiefken, a run-scoring hit from Christian Altamirano, and a sacrifice fly from Austin Menesini to take a 6–5 lead. After the Grizzlies answered to regain the lead later in the inning, Johnson tied it again in the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Braden Frank.

Georgia Gwinnett pulled away in the middle innings, scoring six runs across the fifth and sixth to build a 14–7 advantage. Johnson continued to fight late, plating four runs in the seventh inning with contributions from JJ Menesini, Hobbensiefken, and Izaak Fernandez, but the rally came up short in the 14–11 loss.

Altamirano led the Royals with four hits in the game, while Hobbensiefken drove in two runs and Menesini added a pair of RBIs as Johnson totaled 11 runs on nine hits.

In game three, Johnson struck first in the opening inning when Izaak Fernandez drove in Travis Hobbensiefken with an RBI double to give the Royals a 1–0 lead. The Grizzlies answered in the second and Johnson regained the lead in the third as Fernandez delivered again with an RBI single to make it 2–1.

Georgia Gwinnett responded with a pair of runs in the third before breaking the game open in the fourth with four runs to take control. The Royals added a run in the eighth inning on an RBI single from Braden Frank, but were unable to mount a comeback in the 7–3 loss.

Fernandez led the offense with three hits and two RBIs, while Hobbensiefken recorded two hits and scored all three of Johnson's runs. On the mound, Jacob Jacome took the loss, with Kaleb Townsend providing solid relief over the final five innings.

Despite the doubleheader losses, Johnson showed resilience competing against one of the top teams in the country throughout the day. The Royals will look to regroup and carry that experience forward as they continue their season.