Box Score by Kevin Buczek
BURLINGTON, N.C.-Senior Alex Martin tossed 4 1/3 innings of shutout relief as fourth-seeded King University rallied for a 7-3 elimination victory over No. 6 Barton College to advance to the championship game(s) of the 2014 Conference Carolinas Baseball Tournament at Burlington Athletic Stadium Sunday afternoon.
The Tornado (24-28-1 overall), winners of 10 of their last 11 games, earned the second spot in the championship game(s) for a second straight year. King will need to knock off 12th nationally-ranked and top-seeded University of Mount Olive twice to win the title having lost to the Trojans on Saturday. The first championship game is slated for a 3 p.m. first pitch on Sunday. If KU forces a second title contest, the two teams will play again on Monday at 11 a.m.
The Bulldogs (16-31) went 2-2 in the tourney after pulling off a pair of upset victories in a couple elimination games against second-seeded Erskine and fifth-seeded Limestone.
In a showdown of lefty starters, King junior Tyler Raymond helped out his own cause also serving as the squad's designated hitter. Raymond put the Tornado on the board with a triple down the right field line in the first and then scored on a senior J.D. Wallace single up the middle.
Barton fought back with three run in the top of the third. Senior Dillon Rudio knocked in the Bulldogs first run with a double just over the third baseman's reach. Freshman Calvin Hawke tied the score with a squeeze bunt, which was BC's third successful safety of the tourney. Freshman Andrew Webster then put the Bulldogs up 3-2 with a sac fly that allowed Rudio to tag up and score from third.
Junior southpaw Kyle Rufer settled down after allowing a pair of first-inning runs by tossing scoreless frames in the second, third and fourth for the Bulldogs.
King scratched out one more run off Rufer in the fifth to knot the score at 3-3. Senior Garrett Cook singled to lead off the inning and later scored on an infield single by junior Stephen Mullins.
Rufer settled for the no decision and did not take the mound in the sixth after having pitched earlier in the tournament.
The Tornado stormed ahead for good with three runs in sixth of BC freshman reliever Kerry Walker. Wallace drew a lead-off walk and sophomore Geoff Cieslewitz and senior Justin Trent followed with consecutive singles to load the bases with no outs. Senior Tom Hooker drove in Wallace for the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to center. A bunt single by Cook refilled the bases again and then King used a page out of the Bulldogs playbook and went to the squeeze play that resulted in the next two runs.
Freshman Cody Rogers laid down the bunt attempt down the first base line. Walker tried to get the difficult force out at home plate with a shovel pass to the catcher but the ball sailed over him to the backstop allowing a second Tornado runner to score from second. Rogers was credited with one RBI on the fielder's choice sac bunt while the second KU score was unearned.
Cieslewitz drove in an insurance run in the seventh with a single up the middle just out of the reach of Rudio at shortstop.
King outhit Barton 11-6 with five Tornado batters tallying two hits apiece in Mullins, Wallace, Cieslewitz, Trent and Cook.
Cotten, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, and freshman Jacob Willis paced the Bulldogs lineup with two base knocks apiece.
Martin leveled his record at 3-3 with his 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief of Raymond. Walker fell to 0-4 in his rookie season.
