Eagles Come From Behind to Stay Alive in Day Three of the AAC Tournament

Kingsport, Tenn. -Reinhardt Softball erased an early deficit and retook the lead for good in the fifth inning Wednesday, edging Brenau 7-6 in a neutral-site softball game in Kingsport, Tenn. Shallyn Olszowy delivered the decisive swing with a two-run single to right in the top of the fifth, turning a one-run deficit into a 6-5 Eagles lead.

The Eagles built an early advantage in the first when Kylie Freije singled through the left side to bring home two runs. Brenau answered in the bottom half, then surged in front with a four-run second inning for a 5-3 lead after two. Dayton Power supplied the biggest blow of that frame with a two-run home run to right, and all four Brenau runs in the inning were unearned.

Reinhardt kept chipping away. In the third, Olszowy reached on a fielding error by the shortstop, allowing another unearned run to score and trimming the deficit to 5-4. The breakthrough came two innings later when Olszowy lined a single to right that drove in two more runs. She finished 1-for-4 with two RBIs, providing the key production in the middle of the lineup along with Freije, who had two RBIs as well.

The Eagles added an important insurance run in the sixth. Taylor Wade doubled down the right-field line, and Emily Pettit followed with a single through the right side to score Wade and stretch the margin to 7-5. Pettit set the tone offensively all afternoon, going 4-for-4 with two runs scored, one RBI and two stolen bases. Wade added a 2-for-4 day with a double, an RBI and a run scored as Reinhardt totaled 13 hits.

Anslie Pettit went the distance in the circle for Reinhardt, working all seven innings and allowing nine hits and six runs, but only one earned, while striking out two. Despite five Eagles errors behind her, she limited the damage well enough to finish the complete-game win on 107 pitches. Brenau starter Riley Walker took the loss after allowing 11 hits and six runs, five earned, in 4 2/3 innings.

Brenau made one last push in the seventh when Malorie Watson singled home Peyton Hawkins to cut the lead to one, but Reinhardt recorded the final out to close it out. The Eagles finished with seven runs on 13 hits in front of 75 spectators, with Zeisler behind the plate and Fox and Rogliatti on the bases.

Reinhardt will face Milligan University on day four of the AAC Tournament. This is an elimination game for both teams, which is scheduled for a 1 pm first pitch at the Brickyard Fields in Kingsport, Tennessee. The game can be seen on Southeast Sports Network (SESN YouTube):  https://www.youtube.com/@SESNsports/streams