COLUMBIA - CIU baseball opened their Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) series with arguably the hottest team in the NAIA, Johnson University (Tenn.) on Friday. The Royals (18-4, 8-2 AAC) are currently unranked but will undoubtedly be in the NAIA top-15 when the next Coaches' Poll is released on Monday. CIU (13-12, 5-8 AAC) would fall 6-0 to the Royals in game one of the series, with self-inflicted mistakes overshadowing what would have been a notable defensive effort.

Game Summary: The Rams were able to get a runner on second in the third inning after timely hitting, but neither team scored until the fourth when Johson scored two runs on CIU miscues. After a Tre Williams' single and Graham Peeler base-hit, CIU had runners in scoring position in the bottom of the inning but were unable to capitalize as the inning expired with Williams on third. The game's only other runs came in the seventh when the Royals added four. CIU did load the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but a double-play ended the contest

Box Score Highlights:

• Both Peeler and Colton Lopez went 2-for-4 on the afternoon.
• Davin Miller-Madden got the start pitching six innings with four strikeouts while not giving up an earned run.

Up Next: The Rams host the Royals at Miller Field to finish the series with a doubleheader beginning at noon tomorrow, Saturday, Mar. 15.