Furious Comeback Caps Sweep at the Grizzly Open
By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Day one of the Grizzly Open finished in style for Reinhardt softball on Friday afternoon, as the Eagles completed a two-game sweep after netting seven unanswered runs against Cumberlands (Ky.) after the Patriots blew the game wide open with six tallies in the first.
Reinhardt (3-1) would come back with a vengeance to claim victory, 7-6, and win back-to-back games following a 7-2 decision against Rio Grande (Ohio).
"This is a very competitive tournament with every team being in the preseason national poll [or receiving votes]," head coach Jade Geuther said. "It's a big test early and today we passed. Reagen threw great against Rio with 10 strikeouts and no walks and Ally was huge in relief against Cumberlands. She was able to shut them out and allow our offense to dig us out of a 6-0 hole that our defense put us in early.
"Emma Adams was great at the plate, our baserunning was outstanding and Emily Loveless obviously had a huge 2-out hit in the seventh to give us the lead. We still need to clean up some things defensively, but I love the fight we had today."
Against Cumberlands, the beginning of the matchup didn't go nearly to script as the Patriots put up a half-dozen runs in the bottom of the first on six hits and two errors. A 2-RBI single capped off three-straight hits for Cumberlands to start its at-bat, and then another run-scoring knock was sandwiched in between a 2-RBI double for a 5-0 lead.
A sixth runner to touch home plate would come across soon after for a 6-0 hole for the Eagles.
Lauren Parker hit a sacrifice fly in the second frame to get one back for Reinhardt and then the hometown club cut its deficit to three after an RBI-double from Emma Adams and a single up the middle from Alise Hooks in the fifth inning. Reinhardt got one step closer in the sixth following another score off the bat of Adams for a 6-4 total.
Now in the top of the seventh stanza, Olivia Jacobs scored on a bases-loaded walk by Parker to get within one before Emily Loveless singled up the middle with two outs to complete the comeback on a 2-RBI hit.
The Eagles accumulated 10 hits in the victory, three of which came from Adams. Hooks and Loveless also added a pair as well.
Ally Andriano got the win in relief after six innings of work on just four hits and four strikeouts the rest of the way.
Game one was dominated from start-to-finish by Reagen Radke, who posted a complete-game five-hitter with 10 Ks (no walks) and a pair of runs allowed.
Adams' day started with a bang as she brought home a duo of teammates in the top of the third for a 2-0 lead over the RedStorm. Reinhardt separated itself from Rio Grande in the fifth with four runs – a Megan Huss double, Loveless 2-RBI double and a sacrifice fly from Adams.
The RedStorm avoided the shutout in the sixth, but gave it right back in the top of the seventh frame on a solo blast from Loveless, before scratching one more across on a double in the bottom of the seventh.
Loveless and Adams shined bright with three RBIs apiece out of seven runs total.
Two more games are on deck tomorrow afternoon for the hometown team, as it will take on Cumberlands at 3 p.m. and No. 5 Georgia Gwinnett after that.
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