Eagles Let Lead Slip Against Ottawa Despite a Solid Five from Lynch

Waleska, GA - Ottawa used a late surge and a two-run 10th inning to edge Reinhardt Baseball 7-5 in 10 innings on Friday afternoon at Ken White Field. Jeremy Freeman's sacrifice fly broke a 5-5 tie in the top of the 10th, and an ensuing error allowed an insurance run by Julius Ryan to score, turning a game the Eagles once led 5-2 into an extra-inning defeat.

Reinhardt built early control behind timely hitting in the middle innings. In the second, Brock Sisson doubled and later scored as Miguel Salazar singled home a run, part of a two-run frame that put the Eagles in front 2-0. After Ottawa got on the board in the third on a Ryan RBI double, Reinhardt answered with a manufactured two-run fifth inning, as Salazar and Jaiden Malucci delivered run-scoring singles to extend the lead to 4-1.

The Eagles added what appeared to be a key insurance run in the sixth. Ryan Stephens lifted a solo home run in the bottom half of the inning, pushing Reinhardt's advantage to 5-2. Ottawa had trimmed the deficit earlier in the top of the sixth when Garrett Dodd doubled and scored on a single from Branden Franz, but Stephens' blast briefly restored a three-run cushion and kept momentum on the home side.

Ottawa, however, steadily chipped away. Jose Lopez homered to right field for a solo shot in the top of the eighth, cutting the Reinhardt lead to 5-3. In the ninth, the visitors capitalized on a hit-by-pitch and wild pitch that put Dylan Snead in scoring position. Freeman then doubled him home, and later in the inning, Kaiden Hoapili singled to center to drive in Freeman, completing a two-run rally that pulled Ottawa even at 5-5 and forced extra innings.

The decisive sequence came an inning later. With the game still tied in the 10th, Freeman lifted a sacrifice fly to give Ottawa its first lead since the early innings at 6-5. A subsequent defensive miscue allowed Ryan to cross the plate for an unearned run and a 7-5 margin. Reinhardt was unable to answer in the bottom half, despite having produced 10 hits and showing consistent offense through the middle innings.

Starting pitcher Logan Lynch had another superb outing for the Eagles, throwing five solid innings and leaving the game with the lead and what should have been his third win of the season.  He struck out six Braves while scattering five hits over the five innings.  Only one run was scored against Lynch before he left the game. The relief pitching that came in behind Lynch, unfortunately, let the lead slip away and move into extra innings where the finale played out.

Reinhardt's lineup generated 10 hits, including one double, one triple, and one home run, and drew six walks while striking out just four times. Stephens' solo homer highlighted the power production, while Jackson Rains added two hits, including a triple, and scored a run. The Eagles also left 10 runners on base, a key factor as Ottawa matched them with timely hits in the late innings to overcome the deficit.

Ottawa finished with 12 hits, four doubles, and a home run, and also stole four bases while stranding 12 runners. Dodd led their attack with a 3-for-5 day and a run scored, while Lopez and Freeman each added two hits, combining for four RBIs and four runs. 

The two teams will face each other again on Saturday, March 21st, for a doubleheader beginning at 1 pm.