Doubleheader Sweep for Eagles on Senior Day versus UPike
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 |
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0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | X | 8 | 14 | 0 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
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3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | X | 5 | 8 | 2 |
Waleska, Ga. - Reinhardt Baseball used a pair of strong starts and timely power to sweep Pikeville on Saturday, beating the Bears 8-4 in Game 1 and 5-2 in the seven-inning nightcap at Ken White Field in Waleska. The decisive swing of the opener came early, when Ryan Stephens launched a three-run homer in the second inning, and the Eagles never let Pikeville's early push turn into a split.
Game 1 turned into a more back-and-forth contest. Pikeville scored first in the opening inning after Easton Mould doubled and came home on Garren Gledhill's RBI double. Reinhardt answered in the second when Stephens drove a three-run homer to left, giving the Eagles a 3-2 lead after Francis Subero's solo home run briefly pulled Pikeville within a run. The Bears moved back in front, 4-3, in the third on Noah Brooks' two-run triple to left-center, but Reinhardt answered again in the fourth. Miguel Salazar tripled to right-center and later scored on Stephens' RBI double, tying the game at 4-all.
From there, Reinhardt separated. Stephens struck again with a solo homer in the sixth to put the Eagles ahead for good at 5-4. Brock Sisson added an RBI groundout in the seventh, and Reinhardt closed the opener with a two-run eighth. Cedric Cullars homered in that inning, and Juan Pablo Morales helped produce the final insurance run as the Eagles finished with 14 hits and no errors. Stephens led the way in the opener, going for three hits with two home runs and five RBIs, while Morales added three hits, including a double and a triple. Pikeville finished with 10 hits, including three from Cole Fowler, but stranded nine runners.
The second game was cleaner and quicker for Reinhardt, which built control in the first inning and never gave it away. Cannon Dorsey doubled down the right-field line for two runs in the opening frame, and Louis Dion followed with a run-scoring groundout as the Eagles grabbed a 3-0 lead. Pikeville managed only three hits in the game, though one of them was a Noah Brooks solo homer in the fourth that cut the deficit to 3-1.
Reinhardt answered immediately in the bottom half when Stephens hit another solo homer, this one to right, restoring a three-run cushion. Charles Smith added an RBI single in the fifth for a 5-1 lead before Garren Gledhill homered in the sixth for Pikeville's final run. Dorsey finished Game 2 with two hits, both doubles, two RBIs, two runs scored and two stolen bases. On the mound, Chris Oates worked six innings, allowed three hits and two earned runs, and earned the win as Reinhardt completed the sweep.
Across the doubleheader, Stephens delivered the biggest offensive performance, hitting three home runs and driving in six runs in the two victories. Reinhardt totaled 13 runs on 22 hits over the two games and took both ends of the Saturday twin bill at home, finishing the day with Cullars' late homer in the opener and Oates' steady work carrying the nightcap to the final out.
With the win, the Eagles are currently tied with Pikeville in seventh position in the standings. There is just one week left for AAC Baseball and Reinhardt is scheduled to end the season at Truett McConnell next Thursday and Friday.. The final standings and playoff brackets will be released on the weekend of August 25th, and the Eagles will know who they are playing in the opening round of the AAC playoffs.