Baseball team comes up short at Young Harris, on road to play 11th-ranked Union (Ky.) in AAC doubleheader this Saturday

YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. -- Away from home, the Reinhardt University baseball team came up short by the score of 11-9 on Wednesday night against the Young Harris College Mountain Lions in a non-conference game at Zell B. Miller Field. Reinhardt is a member of the NAIA while Young Harris has applied for NCAA Division II status.

 

The Mountain Lions scored single runs in each of the first two innings before the Eagles went ahead 4-2 in the top of the third. YHC tied the contest in the bottom of the third inning but Reinhardt reclaimed the lead, 7-4, with a three-run fourth. The hosts went on top for good with four runs in the fifth and added one run in each of the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Down 11-7 heading into the ninth inning, the Eagles scored twice before the game ended with the tying run at the plate.

Young Harris had a slight 11-10 advantage in hits and was guilty of three errors. Reinhardt made four errors, leading to seven unearned runs for the Mountain Lions, and left seven runners on base. YHC stranded six base runners.

Don DiPetta spearheaded the Eagles' offense, going 2-for-5 with a home run, double, three RBIs and two runs scored while Michael Lonati was 2-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI. Jay Huffman also collected two hits in five at-bats, with a double and pair of RBIs, while Zach Kles finished 2-for-5 with a run scored.

Taylor Smith started on the mound and took the loss for Reinhardt after pitching 4 2/3 innings. Freshman Jeff Roberts, the Eagles' third pitcher of the evening, tossed the final three innings, giving up no earned runs.

Reinhardt is 15-23-1 overall while Young Harris is 23-20. The Eagles are on the road this Saturday for an Appalachian Athletic Conference doubleheader with the Union College Bulldogs, who are ranked 11th nationally in the NAIA. The first game starts at 1 p.m. in Barbourville, Ky.