Reinhardt Upset in AAC Opener in Late Night Contest
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 1 |
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1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 |
KINGSPORT, Tenn. - In a rain-delayed first day of the AAC Softball Tournament, Reinhardt built a three-run lead through two innings, but Milligan broke the game open with a five-run fourth and handed the Eagles a 6-3 loss Tuesday night. This game started on Tuesday, April 28th, and finished on Wednesday, April 29th. Because of rain earlier in the day, all the games were shifted back a few hours, plus an extra-inning game had the Eagles and Buffaloes starting their game at 10:45 pm on Tuesday night.
The decisive stretch came in the top of the fourth, when Milligan turned a 3-0 deficit into a 5-3 advantage. Jordan Roulettwheeler started the surge with an RBI single, Mollie Johnson followed with a run-scoring double, and additional RBI hits from Sadie Shoun and Haley Vigil completed the inning. Milligan added an insurance run in the seventh when Alana Parsons doubled to left-center to drive in Kaylee Oler.
Reinhardt had controlled the game early. Emily Pettit produced the first run in the bottom of the first, reaching on a fielder's choice that brought home Hallee Shirley for a 1-0 lead. The Eagles added two more in the second inning. Shallyn Olszowy's fielder's choice scored Molly Stevens, and Taylor Wade added another run-producing fielder's choice as Reinhardt moved in front 3-0.
The Eagles finished with 10 hits and did not commit an error, but they were unable to break through after the second inning. Wade led Reinhardt's lineup with two hits and one RBI in four at-bats. Reinhardt also stranded eight runners, compared with five for Milligan, a key difference in a game where the Eagles had chances to answer after the fourth-inning swing.
In the circle, Anslie Pettit struck out five over 3 1/3 innings and allowed five hits and three earned runs before Milligan's comeback gained momentum. Milligan finished with 11 hits, including two-hit performances from Parsons, Roulett, Wheeler, and Haley Vigil. Parsons also drove in a run with the late double that accounted for the final margin.
The Eagles now drop to loser's bracket, where they will have to fight their way through without losing another to make it to the title game. Reinhardt is set to face another tough opponent in the Golden Tigers of Brenau University who were upset as well earlier in the opening day. This has the #2 and #3 going against each other in day two, with one team facing early elimination and their 2026 season coming to an end. The game is scheduled for a 1 pm start and can be seen on SESN (YouTube). https://www.youtube.com/@SESNsports/streams