Eagles Split Doubleheader with Point

David Finney | photo by Elisabeth Dunlap

West Point, GA - On day two of the Point series, the Eagles would split the doubleheader and end the series on a winning note.  Game two of the series would be a repeat of game one where the bats had trouble getting going against good Point U pitching, however, in game three of the series, the Eagles got outstanding pitching and had key hits to secure a win.

GAME ONE

Jordan Hampton would get the starting spot on the mound for the Eagles and would pitch five innings. He would allow 3 hits and 4 runs in his five innings. He was relieved by Hunter Paulsen, the young lefty, who would get in three innings where he would have one strikeout and only allow 2 hits, however, 2 runs would be scored. In total, the Eagles would have four walks against them in the game.

The first, fifth, and seventh would be the tough innings for the Eagles where they would give up 2 runs in each of the three innings.  The first and fifth inning were innings where Reinhardt would give up a couple of home runs each time with a person on base. The seventh had a few errors and a passed ball that allowed 2 unearned runs to come home.

The top of the third is where the Eagles would make their mark on the game and have it tied until the bottom of the fifth. Lance Dockery made it to first on an error by the third baseman and Patrick Baggett was hit to put runners at first and second.  The Eagles had a double steal moving Dockery and Baggett to second and third. A wild pitch allowed Dockery to score and moved Baggett to third. Albert Mora drew a walk next but eventually was caught stealing second. On the steal attempt, Baggett was able to cross home plate giving the Eagles 2 runs in the inning.

The game would end with a 6-2 win for the Skyhawks.

Game Two

In game two, the Eagles had one more chance to salvage the series and get out with a win. Reinhardt's ace, Pablo Barquero - who has 4 wins on the season would get the starting job. Barquero really pitches well for the Eagles and always keeps the opposing team with little to no runs. He has 26 strikeouts in the early season. In this game, Barquero would go all 7 innings striking out 7 batters and giving up ZERO runs.

The Eagles would do their damage at the plate in the second, third, and fourth innings. Tucker Zdunich and Xavier Arnette would be the leaders for Reinhardt in this third game of the series.  Zdunich, "The Stroke Man", would go 1 for 3 with his hit being a bomb to center field. His home run would come in the third as the lead-off batter.  Arnette would go 2 for 2 with 2 walks and one run scored.

The second inning was huge for the Eagles as Arnette would single and eventually score when he was knocked in by a double by Nick Sanders. Later, Sanders was brought home by a single to center by Alex Coulter. For the last run, Shayne Campbell would get a triple to left scoring Coulter. 

In the fourth, Shayne Campbell would get on base with a walk and eventually made his way to third from a failed pickoff attempt by the pitcher (throwing error). Patrick Baggett put the ball in play to the shortstop which would allow Campbell to get home for a run.

With Barquero pitching great, just getting him a few runs can be enough for a win - but the Eagle batters were able to get five across the plate. With a little clean-up in fielding errors and the pitching staff getting their jobs done, expect to see more wins like this going forward. There is no doubt that Reinhardt has a very talented team and has shown it against top-ranked teams. As the season goes on, the Eagles will get their grove going and get on a hot streak picking up some wins. Maybe this was the game that gets them going?

The Eagles will be back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Tennessee Wesleyan for a make-up game from last week. For the upcoming weekend series, the Eagles will be on the road at Columbia International (CIU).