Baseball club suffers loss at 20th-ranked Southern Poly, hosts Young Harris on Tuesday

April 10, 2011

MARIETTA, Ga. -- In a rare Sunday non-conference game, the Reinhardt University baseball squad suffered a 16-6 loss in seven innings at Walter J. Kelly Field to the host Southern Polytechnic State University Runnin' Hornets, who are ranked 20th nationally in the NAIA.

Southern Poly got out to a fast start with six runs in the first inning and two in the second for an 8-0 lead. The Runnin' Hornets added three runs in the fifth inning, but Reinhardt closed the gap by scoring three times in each of the sixth and seventh, making the score 11-6. SPSU plated five runs in the bottom half of the seventh inning, however, enforcing the 10-run mercy rule.

The Eagles were outhit 20-7 and made six errors that led to eight unearned runs for Southern Poly. The Hornets left 14 runners on base and Reinhardt eight.

Jay Huffman paced the Eagles' offense by going 2-for-4 with two RBIs while Zach Kles was 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored. Freshman Nate Toups finished 1-for-2 with two runs scored.

Reinhardt used five pitchers on the afternoon. Kendric McDonald got the start and took the loss. Jake Waters entered the game in the second inning and did not allow a hit or run over 1 2/3 innings.

The Eagles are 15-21-1 overall while SPSU is 30-11. Reinhardt hosts the Young Harris College Mountain Lions in a non-conference contest on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Ken White Baseball Field.