Eagles Start NAIA Postseason with Win over Keiser
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Keiser
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 1 |
|
Reinhardt (GA)
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 6 | 9 | 2 |
photo by CJ Carithers
Waleska, GA - Reinhardt Baseball hosted its first NAIA Opening Round playoffs on Monday with two games to kick off the 2024 postseason. The first game of the day was a bomb-fest with two powerhouse teams seeing who could knock the most balls out of Ken White Field. Jessup University and Point Park battled it out with a high-scoring affair with the Pioneers surviving a 13-10 game which had six home runs total in the game. It was a great start to the day with Reinhardt and Keiser finishing things up in the second game.
The Eagles jumped out to a solid 2-0 which eventually grew to a 5-0 lead before the Seahawks battled their way back into the game. Reinhardt outlasted the comeback by the Seahawks in the seventh which got them to just one run of the Eagles - 5-4. Reinhardt added one more on the board to give them a little cushion winning 6 to 4 in the end and keeping them on the winner's side of the bracket.
Andrew Herbert got the start for the Eagles and he had his usual stuff going striking out 5 Seahawks and scattering 8 hits over his six and one-third innings. Brett Allen came in to get the final two and two-thirds innings to send the Eagles onto the next game. Both pitchers gave up 2 runs each, but the bats did their job and some good defensive plays kept Keiser from getting any more runs.
One of the biggest plays of the game was a throw-out at the plate from Nash Crowell to Matty Maurer in the eighth inning which appeared to be a sure run going in favor of the Seahawks.
Allen got control of the game and finished the ninth inning very strong. He ended up with 3 strikeouts and had a key pick-off play in the eighth inning. He ended the game on a strikeout to send the Eagles out in style.
Reinhardt (GA)Pitchers
| Pitchers | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANDREW HERBERT (W, 1-0) | 6.1 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| BRETT ALLEN (Sv, 1) | 2.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Totals | 9.0 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 2 |
Offensively, Tucker Zdunich continued his postseason excellence by hitting another bomb. This one was in the fifth inning which gave the Eagles a 5-0 lead. Previously, Reinhardt scored two runs in the first and two runs in the fourth to get them out to a solid start. The cushion run came in the seventh inning off the bat of Jarret Burney singled to left field which scored Sam Kilgore.
It was not the best game offensively and defensively for the Eagles, but they controlled the game after jumping out to the 5-0 lead. They held tight behind the arm of Allen and squeaked out the narrow win which is all you want in postseason play. Win and advance is the name of the game when you are facing teams that are all top quality.
The Eagles will face Point Park on Tuesday afternoon at 4 pm. Keiser will play Jessup in the first game scheduled for a noon pitch. The loser of this game sees its season end and the winner moves on to play the loser of the 4 pm game. Stay tuned to www.ReinhardtEagles.com for up-to-date game information. There is rain in the forecast which could have games moving around.