Eagles Split with Truett on Final Day of the Regular Season; Await Postseason Positioning
Cleveland, GA - Reinhardt Baseball opened Friday's doubleheader with an eight-run offensive outburst, then saw a late rally fall one run short in the nightcap, splitting a two-game set on the road at Truett McConnell. The Eagles took Game 1, 8-3, behind a decisive five-run sixth inning, before Truett McConnell answered with a 4-3 win in Game 2 to end the regular season.
The opener turned on Reinhardt's ability to stretch a manageable lead into a comfortable one. After Ryan Stephens delivered an RBI single in the second to score Brock Sisson for a 1-0 edge, the Eagles added on in the fifth when Cade Chamlee doubled down the left-field line to bring home two runs and make it 3-0. The game broke open in the sixth. Reinhardt sent five runs across the plate in the inning, turning that 3-0 advantage into an 8-0 cushion, with Sisson's two-run double serving as the capstone to the rally.
Chamlee finished Game 1 with two hits, three RBIs, and two doubles, while Sisson also doubled twice, drove in two runs, and drew two walks. Juan Pablo Morales added two hits, scored twice, and drove in one run, and Stephens collected two hits and two RBIs. Reinhardt totaled 10 hits, six doubles, and six walks in the win. Miguel Salazar also doubled in the game.
On the mound, Ty Pangborn gave the Eagles three scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out three. Truett McConnell scratched out one run in the seventh and added two more in the ninth, but the late push only trimmed the final margin to 8-3.
Game 2 flipped early and the bats cooled off some for Reinhardt from game one. Truett McConnell struck for three runs in the second inning, getting run-scoring production from Candler Cain, David Walters, and C.J. Rivera, then added a solo home run from Cain in the fourth to build a 4-0 lead. Reinhardt, limited to four hits in the second game, did not get on the board until the fifth, when Stephens singled to right to score Aiden Robles and cut the deficit to 4-1.
The Eagles kept pressing. Robles produced an RBI groundout in the sixth to make it 4-2, and Jackson Rains followed with a sacrifice fly in the seventh to pull Reinhardt within 4-3. That was as close as the Eagles could get. Robles scored once and drove in a run, Stephens added an RBI hit, and Reinhardt brought the tying run home in each of the final three innings but could not find the equalizer. Truett McConnell starter Hunter Walls worked 4 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and one earned run with three strikeouts to earn the win, while Cain led the hosts offensively with two hits, two RBIs, two runs scored, and the solo homer.
Charles Smith and Cedric Cullars both doubled in the game and Cannon Dorsey recorded three stolen bases.
Friday's split gives the Eagles a little push going into the conference postseason next week. It appears that Reinhardt will have the seventh spot as the final results from around the AAC keep rolling in on Friday. The conference will have the official tournament bracket available over the weekend, which will give the Eagles their opponent. Most likely, they will be playing their first game on Tuesday of next week to an opponent to be named later. Stay posted to www.aacsports.com for more information on the 2026 Appalachian Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament.
