Lake Wales, FL- The Royals hosted the Fire of Southeastern in Sun Conference play. It was an action-packed four games that featured entertaining baseball at Sikes Family Field.

Game 1
Despite a gritty performance and an explosive start, the Royals fell just short in a 13-inning thriller, losing 11-7 to Southeastern. The Royals jumped out to an early lead with a two-run homer by Diego Guevara in the first inning and kept the pressure on with a strong offensive showing from Jorge Pereira, who went 4-for-7 with a triple, double, and two RBIs. Guevara added four hits of his own, driving in three total runs to fuel Warner's attack. On the pitching side of things, Austin Vakiener delivered six strong innings in relief for the Royals, counting as his longest outing of the season so far. Despite Vakiener's effort, Southeastern's Alphonso Villalobos hit a decisive grand slam that the Royals could not recover from. The Royals drop the first of the four-game slate.


Game 2
In game one of the doubleheader, the Royals struggled to get anything going against Southeastern's southpaw Aaron Robertson, who would throw all seven innings for the Fire. The Royals had some early opportunities but couldn't capitalize. Pereira and Ju. Figueroa each collected hits in the opening innings but were left stranded. Josh Kuhns got the starting nod for the Royals and was effective through the first four innings allowing just one, unearned, to come across and score. The fifth inning is where things took a turn as Southeastern erupted for five runs, highlighted by a grand slam from Nick Streuer that put the game out of reach. Relievers Andres Tapia and Wagner Hamilton tried to stop the damage, but Southeastern added three more insurance runs to seal the game. Offensively, Warner struggled to string together hits, tallying only four and being shutout for the first time this season. Following the showing, the Royals would need to find something and find it quick before game three of the series.
 
Game 3
Dropping the first two, the Royals would flip the script on the Fire in game two of the doubleheader. Setting the tone early, the Royals scored twice in the second inning, with the damage coming from Ian Anderson who doubled in a run, and Luis Cedeno who followed with an RBI single to give Warner a 2-0 lead. In the third, Warner struck again with a three-run surge. Diego Guevara led the charge with one of his four hits on the night, while Danny Garcia and Bryan Belo delivered key RBI singles to push the Royals' lead to 5-1. After Southeastern battled back, with a three-run homerun by Connor Hicks cutting the deficit down to just one. The Royals, however, would add two crucial insurance runs in the seventh stretching their lead back to three. On the mound, starter Noah Harsch earned his fourth win of the season delivering seven strong innings and allowing just four runs to plate for the visitors. Reliever Alexi Angelo answered the call in the final two innings, recording his first save and shutting the door on the Fire's comeback hopes.

Game 4
Down 1-2 in the series, the Royals looked to walk away with their second upset in as many days. Southeastern jumped ahead early, plating two runs in the first inning and three in the fourth to take a 5-0 lead. However, Warner refused to back down, as they would explode for five runs in the bottom of the fourth. Key at bats from Danny Garcia, Ian Anderson, and Julian Figueroa along with an RBI double from Jorge Pereira knotted the game at five. The following inning, the Royals captured the lead with Horiam Santiago, who reached on a single, scoring from a wild pitch. On the mound, Anthony Ansalmo (3-1) was dominant in relief, holding Southeastern scoreless for the final 5.1 innings while allowing just five hits and striking out two. His stellar performance sealed the Royals' second win against Southeastern and their fifth against a ranked team. With the win, the Royals leave the series 12-14 and an even 4-4 in conference play.


INSIDE THE GAME: Warner vs Southeastern
FINAL: Royals 7, Fire 11
RECORDS: Royals(10-13, 2-3), Fire (22-1, 1-0,)

INSIDE THE GAME: Warner vs Southeastern
FINAL: Royals 0, Fire 9
RECORDS: Royals(10-14, 2-4), Fire (23-1, 2-0,)

INSIDE THE GAME: Warner vs Southeastern
FINAL: Royals 7, Fire 5
RECORDS: Royals(11-14, 3-4), Fire (23-2, 2-1)

INSIDE THE GAME: Warner vs Southeastern
FINAL: Royals 6, Fire 5
RECORDS: Royals(12-14, 4-4), Fire (23-3, 2-2,)


UP NEXT:
 The Royals are back in action Thursday when they take on New College of Florida in Sun Conference play.
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