Eagles Split Double Header with Middle Georgia
David Finney
Cochran, GA - The Eagles started their spring softball season on the road at Middle Georgia with a double-header. Reinhardt split games winning the first one 5-4, but lost the second 16-8. Middle Georgia was coming into this doubleheader with two wins and playing at their home field.
Game One
Ally Andriano would get the starting job on the mound and she would pitch all seven innings. She was able to get five strikeouts and gave up seven hits over the seven innings while getting the win.
The Eagles would have three errors in the first inning giving up three of the Knight's four total runs in the game. Reinhardt would settle down after this only giving up one run in the second inning. They were able to make their mark on the game in the third inning when Emily Loveless hit a two-run homerun knocking in Ansley Evans who had reached on a walk.
In the fifth inning, the bat of Emily Loveless would get hot again, and this time with two runners on the bags. Loveless hit a three-run home run to left knocking in Alexis Teems and Alexis Griffith. Loveless would put the Eagles up 5-4 in the top of the fifth. Andriano would finish out the third through the seventh not giving up any runs and the Eagles would have their first win of the season.
Emily Loveless would go 3 for 4 in the game with 5 RBIs. Teems and Griffith would both go 2 for 4 hitting and both scoring runs. It was a great start for the Eagles.
Game Two
In game two of the doubleheader, the Knights of Middle Georgia would get hot and take advantage of a few costly errors by the Eagles. In the top of the first, Reinhardt would get one on the board as both Alexis Griffith and Alexis Teems both singled to start the game. Eventually, Teems would score from an error on the second baseman for Middle Georgia. Whitney Shepherd would get the start for the Eagles and she would have a pretty good first inning, giving up two runs on a hit and an error.
The bottom of the second is where the Eagles would run into trouble. They would have 6 hits and 3 errors in the inning allowing 8 runs on the board. Reinhardt would go down 10-1 early in this one and that would be their last runs until the top of the fifth inning.
Bella Krauth would relieve Shepherd in the second inning. After getting out of the second, Krauth settled down and pitched a good third inning only giving up one hit and zero runs. The fourth inning would be another tough inning for the Eagles as they would give up another five runs. Krauth struck out the first batter, but then the Knights would get five runs on three hits and an error by the Eagles.
In the top of the fifth, the Eagles were able to get seven runs across the plate on three hits and two errors by Middle Georgia. Alexis Griffith and Alexis Teems both started off the inning with two hits each. Kalyn Jinks reached on a walk loading up the bases and Jill Martinet doubled to center scoring both Griffith and Teems. Jinks eventually scored on an error by the Knight's third baseman. Martinet would score after two walks by Middle Georgia. JJ Trowell, Payton Franklin, and Lauren Parker all scored on a hit by Alexis Griffith and a wild throwing error on Middle Georgia. The inning would end as Griffith was thrown out at third 8-4-5 play.
Jenna Richman would come in to pitch the bottom of the fifth inning for the Eagles. The Knights were able to get one runner across the plate and the game ended with the Eagles taking the defeat 16 to 8.
It was a good opening day for the Eagles despite giving up the runs and errors in the second game. They will have a little time to rest and prepare for another busy weekend of softball as Reinhardt will play six games in three days at the Georgia Gwinnett College Tourney.