Eagles Split on Day-Two of Bryan Series

Eagles Split on Day-Two of Bryan Series
Box Score Box Score

Team Stats

April 13, 2024

Dayton, TN - Reinhardt Baseball came up one game short on Saturday and suffered their first AAC series loss of the season, however, they still have complete control of their destiny.  The Eagles end the day two games up on second-place Tennessee Wesleyan with just two series remaining this season.  They have Bluefield at home on April 19 & 20 and then they end the season with CIU on the road.  All they need to do is win out in the conference series and they will be the AAC regular season champions.

Game One - RU 13-7 Bryan

Ace pitcher Andrew Herbert was on the mound for the Eagles and this is always a good thing. Herbert picked up his sixth win of the season since coming back in late February. He has only given up 9 runs in 8 appearances for the Eagles and still has a low 1.79 ERA.  He gave up 4 runs against Bryan with 3 runs coming in the third inning, but this would not hurt the Eagles as the offense was back to producing runs in this game.  Herbert ended the day pitching 6 innings and recorded 5 strikeouts to lead the Eagles.  He only had 3 hits against him in his innings.

Cobey Allison and Brett Allen came in for relief of Herbert with Allen having the most success.  Allen has been a spark for the Eagles' pitching staff this season and game one was no different as he struck out 3 batters and gave up only one run in three innings of work.

Reinhardt (GA)Pitchers

Pitchers IP H R ER BB SO HR
ANDREW HERBERT (W, 1-0) 6.0 3 4 4 5 5 2
COBEY ALLISON 0.0 1 2 2 0 0 1
BRETT ALLEN 3.0 5 1 1 2 3 0
Totals 9.0 9 7 7 7 8 3

Offensively, the Eagles would get this cranked up early in the game scoring 3 runs in the first inning. They would go on to score in six of the nine innings with the eighth inning being the largest producer with 5 runs.

The big bats stepped up for the Eagles in game one with Dylan Lewis, Tucker Zdunich, and Nash Crowell all putting up big numbers for the Eagles. Reinhardt had eight home runs total in the game. Lewis, Crowell, Zdunich, Matty Maurer, Lance Dockery, and Luis Mendoza all homered for the Eagles.  Crowell hit three total in the game and now has 16 to lead the team. Lewis is just one home run back with 15.  These two will have a friendly battle to the end to see who gets the title.

Lewis was 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Tucker Zdunich was 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored.  Crowell was 3 for 4 with 4 RBIs and 3 runs scored.

BATTING
 
Unfortunately, the hot bats would cool off for game two of the doubleheader, and the Eagles walk away with an 11 to 8 loss.
 
Game Two
Alex Galvez got the start for the Eagles he could only get two innings in before being pulled.  Galvez gave up 2 runs in the second and third and was relieved by Ryan Mahoney. Mahoney has had a few good appearances for the Eagles, however, this game would not be his best as he would give up 5 total runs in the third and fourth innings - but several of those runs came from a grand slam home run in the fourth after Eli Clotfelter entered the game.
 
Brett Allen was called in to pitch again in game two, but he had a little trouble in the fifth where he gave up a 3-run homer.  He pitched fine in the sixth, but the damage to the Eagles had already been done and it would be up to the offense to get back into the game.

Reinhardt (GA)Pitchers

Pitchers IP H R ER BB SO HR
ALEX GALVEZ (L, 0-1) 2.0 0 2 1 3 2 0
RYAN MAHONEY 1.0 2 5 4 2 2 1
ELI CLOTFELTER 1.0 3 1 1 0 0 1
BRETT ALLEN 2.0 1 3 3 2 3 1
Totals 6.0 6 11 9 7 7 3

Dylan Lewis and Richard Castro would be the big bats for the Eagles in game two, however, the ball would never leave the yard in this one. Lewis had two doubles in the game finishing the day hitting 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored. Castro was 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored.

The Eagles made a strong comeback in the top of the sixth to get them just three runs down from the Lions' lead. Castro and Luis Mendoza both had singles in the sixth inning to score runs for the Eagles and Marcerio Allen drew a walk to score another.  The game would end in the top of the seventh when the Eagles failed to score the three runs needed to tie the game and move into extra innings.

Reinhardt will have to put this series behind them and get ready for a Tuesday home matchup with Middle Georgia - which should warm them up for the weekend home series with Bluefield. With just two more weeks remaining in the 2024 regular season, every pitch and every inning is important for the Eagles. Game time will be 4 pm this Tuesday afternoon for Middle Georgia.