Flashback Friday: RU Beats Campbellsville (Ky.), Heads to 2018 Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series
By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media
WALESKA, Ga. – (Final Inning Video) On May 16, 2018, the Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series – in its 62nd edition – welcomed the Reinhardt Eagles to Harris Field and Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho, for the first time in history.
Today's Flashback Friday features the hometown team, the No. 3 seed in the Bowling Green Bracket, coming out victorious, 5-1, over second-seeded Campbellsville (Ky.) in the NAIA Baseball Opening Round sudden death final in Bowling Green, Ky.
The Eagles (41-18) prevailed in the if-necessary contest after the Tigers roared back from a 7-0 deficit in the opening bout of the day to win, 10-7, in extra innings.
Conversely, Reinhardt came from behind in all three of its wins in the bracket en route to the World Series.
Chandler Wold got the scoring started in the morning in the second inning with a bases-loaded walk and Daniel Rodriguez cleared the bags with a 3-RBI double for a 4-0 lead. The Eagles would add two more in the next frame after Kaleb Swayze hit a solo home run, followed by another bases-full walk.
The Reinhardt second baseman would continue the hot streak to 7-0 in the fifth with an RBI-double.
Daniel Dolensky was superb in his seven innings of work on the mound, and only gave up two earned runs in the outing after Campbellsville finally strung together some hits in the sixth and seventh stanzas.
The momentum would stay on the side of the higher seed, however, as the Tigers then touched home plate four times in the eighth to tie the score at 7-7 off of Johnny Croley and Heriberto Casasola, who came in early due to injury.
Casasola would finish the game and take the loss after giving up three tallies in the 10th inning in his third frame of work.
Three Eagles collected a pair of hits in the loss, but the team needed to immediately wipe the defeat from memory and get back on the field in an hour to earn its chance to Lewiston in a winner-take-all.
In game two of the day, runs were scored in only three total innings for both sides combined. Campbellsville jumped on top in the bottom of the second on a single through the hole on the left side, but two innings later, Reinhardt tied the scoreboard and took the lead on a wild pitch and an RBI-groundout from Jacob Cagle, respectively.
The Eagles would then add to their total with a pair of blasts in the sixth - a leadoff homer from Swayze and a 2-run shot from Matthew Vaccaro - to push the advantage to 5-1.
Jesus Palacios was dominant in the start of his life as the left-hander tossed seven innings and gave up only one unearned tally. He then handed the ball off to starter Dylan Powers, who came out of the bullpen for the final two innings to slam the door on the Tigers.
Both of Powers' frames went quick, as Campbellsville had no answers for him, and then grounded into an NAIA Baseball World Series-clinching 6-4-3 double play as the Eagles stormed the field in celebration.
Reinhardt didn't get much on offense, but five total hits was enough thanks to two big-time homers from Swayze and Vaccaro.
The Eagle right fielder was without a doubt the best player on the diamond the entire event, as Swayze batted .526 (10-for-19) with seven RBIs and two homers in four total games in the last three days.
He also was instrumental in the dugout with his leadership and willingness to uplift the play of his teammates.
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