Lions Slow Eagle Bats in Game One Triumph of Ranked Teams

Lions Slow Eagle Bats in Game One Triumph of Ranked Teams

Team Stats

March 5, 2021

By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media

WALESKA, Ga. – Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play came to Ken White Baseball Field on Friday night as No. 17 Reinhardt welcomed No. 21 Bryan (Tenn.) for the first contest in a three-game series.

It was a low-scoring affair that saw the Eagles scratch one across home plate in the bottom of the second, but the Lions responded with two tallies in the third inning and one in the fifth to hold on for another AAC victory, 3-1.

With the loss, the hometown team falls to 10-7 and 0-4 in the AAC.

"We are going to find out a lot about this team tomorrow," head coach Jonathan Burton said. "This is as close to playing for your season as you can get in March. No one wants to get buried this early in a conference season, so we have to shake this and get ready for a long day of baseball."

Albert Mora (single) and Xavier Arnette (ground-rule double) got things going in the Reinhardt portion of the second frame, and Mora would later open the scoring by coming home on a fielder's choice. The Eagles had a chance for additional runs, but a liner to shortstop prevented any more damage.

Bryan would tie the score at 1-1 on the first batter of the third on a bomb over the left-field fence. Later in the inning, the visitors took the lead for good on an RBI-double to right-center field for a 2-1 advantage.

The hosts nearly got out of a big jam in the top of the fifth with a triple play, but the play at first was safe and a runner scored for a 3-1 cushion.

Reinhardt – who left numerous players on base – connected on nine hits, but couldn't come through in the clutch to get closer or tie things up on the scoreboard.

Fast forward to the bottom of the ninth inning, where the Eagles put together a hit and a walk with two outs, bringing All-American catcher Andres Ugarte to the plate with a chance to tie or win the game with a walk-off blast.

The Lions were able to escape and get Ugarte to ground out and end the game on a fielder's choice.

Arnette went 3-for-4 and Mora and Jarrett Burney both posted a pair of hits.

Daniel Dolensky – who recently became the program's all-time leader in strikeouts – took the loss after four innings of work with five walks.

The series continues tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.

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