Royals Complete Historic Road Sweep of Tennessee Wesleyan

ATHENS, TN— The Royals made history Saturday afternoon, sweeping No. 11 Tennessee Wesleyan in an AAC doubleheader by scores of 4–3 and 4–1 to complete a three-game series sweep over the Bulldogs for the first time in program history.

In game one, the Royals found themselves in a tight battle throughout before delivering late. Johnson struck first in the opening inning as Izaak Fernandez drove in a run with a single to give the Royals an early lead. Tennessee Wesleyan responded with three runs across the middle innings to take a 3–1 advantage.

Johnson answered in the eighth inning in a big way. JJ Menesini delivered the go-ahead swing, launching a three-run home run to right-center to flip the game and give the Royals a 4–3 lead. The pitching staff made it stand, as Bodey Yates earned the win in relief and Kaleb Townsend closed out the final innings to secure the victory.

Game two featured another strong all-around performance from the Royals. After a scoreless start, Austin Menesini broke the tie in the fifth inning with a solo home run to give Johnson a 1–0 lead. Tennessee Wesleyan answered in the bottom half with a solo shot of their own, but the Royals quickly responded.

In the sixth inning, Travis Hobbensiefken delivered a two-run home run to put Johnson back in front 3–1. The Royals added an insurance run in the seventh as Grayson Shehan drove in a run with a single, extending the lead to 4–1.

On the mound, Tyler Barfield turned in a strong outing, allowing just one run over 5.1 innings, while Andrew Uharriet shut the door out of the bullpen to secure the win.

Following the sweep, head coach Dave Serrano emphasized the significance of the weekend for the program.

"Defining moment for our team and program with a road sweep of a Tennessee Wesleyan team that annually is one of the best in our conference and in NAIA baseball," Serrano said. "Offensively it wasn't our best today, but we had some big at-bats with the home run ball. Can't say enough about every guy who took the mound today and this weekend. That's usually a very offensive ballpark and they notoriously are very offensive. Now the challenge is next week and continuing to keep working to get better."

With the sweep, the Royals not only secure a major conference series victory but also continue to build momentum as they push forward in AAC play.