Hometown Team Earns Two Wins in 2021 Finale
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Reinhardt
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 1 |
|
Tennessee Wesleyan
|
1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 1 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Reinhardt
|
0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 2 |
|
Tennessee Wesleyan
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media
ATHENS, Tenn. – Reinhardt softball finished the regular season on a high note after taking the last doubleheader of the year in sweeping fashion with 7-4 and 5-2 finals on the road at Tennessee Wesleyan on Wednesday evening.
Those triumphs add up to three-straight wins for the now-25th-ranked Eagles – who earlier Wednesday took the final spot in the NAIA Softball Coaches' Top 25 Poll after receiving 116 votes from coaches nationwide.
To view the entire ranking from the NAIA, please click here.
The hometown team (37-11, 20-6 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC)) didn't start particularly fast in either contest, but it was able to rebound nicely and make timely plays to earn a pair of comeback wins in Tennessee.
"The results today were exactly what we wanted heading into the postseason," lead Eagle Jade Geuther said. "We have been mentally caught up in the postseason for a while now and it has caused us to play less than our best at times.
"Now, we get to go after what we've been so excited about."
The Bulldogs got out the gate quickly with a run in the first and two tallies in the second – a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly – to open a 3-0 advantage. The lead lasted until the top of the fourth when the visitors came alive with a half-dozen scores on four hits.
Alise Hooks singled to right, and then both Emily Loveless and Emma Adams walked with bases loaded. The bags would remain full, with a tie game at 3-3, when Jill Martinet doubled to right to bring home three teammates for a 6-3 cushion.
Tennessee Wesleyan got one back in the bottom of the fifth, but Reinhardt countered in the ninth by touching home plate once again thanks to a dropped fly ball.
Martinet was 3-for-4 and two others gathered a pair of hits each in the victory. Lindsey Shepherd won the decision in the center circle in relief after three innings pitched.
Tennessee Wesleyan again jumped ahead of the Eagles on the scoreboard with a 2-RBI single in the first inning, but wouldn't gain any more tallies the rest of the way. Conversely, the visitors would slowly make a comeback by scoring in four of the next five frames for five runs total.
Back-to-back doubles by Natalie Parlato and Megan Huss helped cut the deficit in half at 2-1, and then in the top of the third, the matchup was tied on another Martinet connection. Loveless continued to swing a hot bat with another homer in the fifth – a 2-run blast – for what would prove-to-be the game-winning smash.
Hooks brought in an insurance run for good measure in the top of the sixth as well for a 5-2 outcome.
Loveless (3), Hooks (2) and Parlato (2) all had multiple knocks in game two.
Ansley Byers shook off her slow start to finish the conference battle with a win after seven innings and four strikeouts.
Stay tuned for information regarding the AAC Championship in the coming days.
For up-to-the-minute Eagles sports news, follow Reinhardt Athletics on Facebook, @RU_Eagles on Twitter and @ru_eagles on Instagram.
For more information on Reinhardt Softball, please click here.