Baseball team falls in both games of doubleheader with Shorter, hosts Waldorf next Tuesday

March 2, 2011
WALESKA, Ga. -- At home on Wednesday, the Reinhardt University baseball team fell in both games of a non-conference doubleheader with the Shorter University Hawks, losing the opener 5-0 and the second game 12-8 at Ken White Baseball Field.

 

In the opening contest, Shorter scored four times in the second inning and added an insurance run in the top of the sixth as Reinhardt was shut out for the first time this season.

The Hawks doubled the hosts in hits, 8-4, and each squad made an error. The Eagles left 10 runners on base and Shorter eight.

Zach Kles was 2-for-3 for Reinhardt while Billy King finished 1-for-2 with a walk. Ethan Starr accounted for the club's other hit.

Four Eagles pitched in the contest with freshman Jeff Roberts getting the start and loss after going 1 2/3 innings. Kendric McDonald threw 2 2/3 innings, allowing no hits or runs while Taylor Smith gave up just one hit and no runs over the final inning.

The Hawks built a 5-0 lead in the second game with three runs in the first inning and two in the second, but Reinhardt responded with a seven-run outburst in the bottom of the second to take a 7-5 advantage. The lead was short-lived, however, as Shorter came back with six runs in the top of the third inning. By scoring once in the sixth inning, the Eagles trimmed the deficit to 11-8, but the guests tacked on another run in the seventh.

The Hawks had 16 hits and stranded 11 base runners, compared to 11 and 10, respectively, for Reinhardt. The Eagles were guilty of five errors, leading to six unearned runs, while Shorter played error-free.

Offensively for Reinhardt, Brett Flick went 3-for-5 with a triple, three RBIs and a run scored while freshman Phillip Bates came off the bench to go 2-for-2. Jay Huffman ended 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI while Cory Cox was 1-for-1 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored. Freshman Alan Hardisty collected a hit, walk, an RBI and a run scored while Michael Lonati produced an RBI single and scored.

Freshman CJ Oliva was the first of six pitchers for the Eagles and tossed one inning. Chris Fletcher pitched the fifth and sixth innings, allowing only one hit and no runs with a pair of strikeouts and no bases on balls.

Reinhardt drops to 4-11 overall while the Hawks move to 19-3. The Eagles' next contest is when they host the Waldorf College Warriors (from Forest City, Iowa) next Tuesday at 4 p.m.