Reinhardt Comes Home With Confidence after 3-1 Weekend
By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Reinhardt softball had a flair for the dramatic and performed well against stiff competition in the two days it played in the Grizzly Open, hosted by NAIA No. 5 Georgia Gwinnett.
The Eagles (4-2) went 3-1 in the event, 1-1 on Saturday, as it got a walk-off win against Cumberlands (Ky.), 9-8, before standing toe-to-toe with the Grizzlies in a narrow 5-3 defeat.
"So far this season, our pitching staff is showing they understand their role and that is to minimize the damage of our opponents and let our hitters hit," head coach Jade Geuther said. "Our offense was really good again today… And probably the best feeling as a coach is to have a group with this confidence. We never feel like we are out of a game. We don't pout when we're down; we are calm in big moments.
"Even in the loss, we out-hit Gwinnett. There's absolutely nothing to be ashamed of in this tournament; Rio, Cumberlands and Gwinnett are great teams."
All that being said, our good Friday and Saturday are erased if we don't show up to play tomorrow. We are all ready to get home, get the field ready, and get after it again tomorrow. When you're playing well, the games can't come fast enough.
The Patriots again jumped up big on the hometown team – this time to the tune of a 7-1 advantage heading to the bottom of the fourth inning – after singles helped them grow a 4-0 lead after two frames of play.
Reinhardt got on the board in the bottom of the third on a solo home run off the bat of Emily Loveless. The opposition, however, would respond with three more scores in the top of the fourth an a 2-RBI double and a run-scoring single.
From there, the Eagles would continue to earn tallies in five-consecutive frames to end the game.
An error and a base-hit opened the door for Reinhardt at 7-3 heading to the fifth before the hometown club put up a three-spot in the bottom of the frame compliments of a bases-loaded walk from Emma Adams and a 2-RBI slash from Kayla Laukka to make it 7-6.
Lauren Parker got in on the hitting action in the bottom of the sixth to tie the battle, 7-7, but Cumberlands awoke in the top of the seventh with an RBI-groundout.
Down in the game once again, Alise Hooks came through in the clutch with a 2-out, RBI-triple to deep right-center to tie the score once more (8-8), before Olivia Jacobs brought her home in the next at-bat to win.
The Eagles collected 11 hits and saw four of their players claim two-or-more hits in the victory.
Reagen Radke got the win in relief after two innings.
The momentum continued into game two against powerful Gwinnett, as Reinhardt got on the scoreboard in the top of the first on a dropped fly ball to left field. The Grizzlies, who lost the hit battle, 8-5, was kept quiet until the bottom of the fourth where they took the lead for the first time on a base-hit down the line that scored a pair.
Loveless (2-for-4) again showed off her power with another lead-off blast in the top of the fifth to immediately tie the score at 2-2. The Eagles would go down in order in the sixth frame, but Georgia Gwinnett would not – regaining the advantage by three (5-2) on a 2-RBI double and a misplayed grounder.
The hometown team wouldn't back down, though, as Hooks (3-for-4) brought in a run on a single. Jacobs would come up next and put a scare into the Grizzlies with a loud out on a lineout to end the game with two teammates on base.
It's back to the diamond tomorrow – inside Ken White Softball Field – as the Golden Bears of West Virginia Tech open the home schedule for Reinhardt in the morning for a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.
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