#6 Cumberlands Takes Doubleheader Despite Early Spark in Nightcap

Waleska, GA - Reinhardt Baseball fell in both ends of a doubleheader against Cumberlands (Ky.) on Saturday at Ken White, dropping the opener 15-5 before a late Patriots surge handed the Eagles a 5-1 setback in the seven-inning nightcap.

Game 2 opened with one of Reinhardt's most aggressive plays of the day, as the Eagles struck first when Jackson Rains swiped home in the bottom of the first for a 1-0 lead. That early run held up behind solid pitching into the middle innings, but Cumberlands' power and timely hitting turned the game in the late frames to complete the sweep.

Cumberlands pulled even in the fifth inning of the nightcap when Bryce Turner lifted a solo home run to tie the game at 1-1. An inning later, the Patriots moved in front for good as Derick Andiarena came around to score on an RBI single from Ronald Almanzar, giving Cumberlands a 2-1 advantage. The decisive blow came in the seventh, when Turner homered again to start a three-run inning that also featured an RBI single by Caden Petrey and a run scoring on a wild pitch to make it 5-1.

Reinhardt's pitching kept the Eagles in Game 2 deep into the afternoon, limiting Cumberlands to a single run through four innings and just eight hits overall, but the Eagles' offense was held to one run on five hits and struck out eight times. Reinhardt did not draw a walk in the nightcap, while Cumberlands worked four free passes to extend innings and set up its late scoring. Brock Weiss got the start and pitched a terrific game, only giving up one hit and one run in his 4.2 innings of work. Despite having a good game pitching those early innings, the relief pitching had issues and could not keep the powerful Patriots lineup from building the lead.

In the nine-inning opener, a seven-run second inning from Cumberlands put Reinhardt in an early hole that proved too deep to escape in a 15-5 loss. The Patriots used 10 hits and nine walks, taking advantage of five Eagles errors to build a lead that grew steadily across the middle and late innings. Caden Petrey led the Cumberlands attack by going 3-for-5 with a home run, four RBIs, and two runs scored, while Zamaurion Hatcher finished 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs. Jay Flynn added two doubles, three RBIs, three runs, and two walks from the middle of the order.

Reinhardt answered Cumberlands' early surge with runs in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and ninth innings to stay competitive in Game One. The Eagles' biggest push came in the fourth, when they plated two runs, highlighted by a triple from Juan Pablo Morales that drove in a run and helped cut into the deficit. Reinhardt finished with nine hits in the opener and left 10 runners on base, generating pressure throughout the middle innings despite the Patriots' sizable cushion.

On the mound in Game One, Cumberlands' starter Nolan Wilson earned the win by working 5.1 innings, allowing four earned runs on four hits while striking out four and walking three on 93 pitches. Reinhardt's staff recorded nine strikeouts but was forced to navigate 192 pitches as Cumberlands continued to extend at-bats and capitalize on extra opportunities. Defensively, the Eagles' five errors in the opener contrasted with a cleaner effort in Game Two, where each side committed two miscues.

Across the doubleheader, Reinhardt totaled six runs on 14 hits while facing a Cumberlands lineup that combined for 20 runs and 18 hits. The Eagles showed flashes of momentum with Rains' steal of home in the nightcap and Morales' extra-base hit in the opener, and the team will look to build on those attacking moments while tightening defense and limiting big innings as the season continues.

Next up for the Eagles is a Tuesday matchup with Middle Georgia State University in a non-conference midweek single game.  The team will then prepare for a road weekend series with Bryan College.