EMERSON, Ga. - CIU baseball opened play in the 2022 SouthEast Rumble on Friday as they took on both (RV) Indiana Tech and No. 19 Middle Georgia State. The SouthEast Rumble is a premier NAIA baseball showcase hosted by fellow Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) program Reinhardt University (Ga.) The showcase highlights some of the best team's in the NAIA over a three-day span. The Rams battled throughout the day but were upended by both Indiana Tech and Middle Georgia. Playing arguably the hardest schedule in the NAIA, CIU moves to 3-8 on the season with the losses.
GAME ONE: Indiana Tech 14 CIU 5: The Rams started hot in the second inning as Ward Hacklen hit a homer to put CIU up 1-0. The Rams excited the inning with more runs on the board after a Rodrigo Rodriguez RBI single gave CIU the 2-0 lead. The tide turned, however as the Warriors scored ten unanswered runs in the bottom of the second and third inning. CIU answered in the fourth on a Buddy Bleasdale two-RBI double to cut the advantage to 10-4. Despite the burst of momentum, the Rams gave up five runs in the final five innings to fall 14-5.
BOX SCORE NOTES:
- Ward Hacklen recorded his second homerun of the season.
- Carter Willis had a solid game going 2-for-4 and notching an RBI.
- Buddy Bleasdale continues to crank out doubles as the graduate student now has five on the season.
GAME TWO: Middle Georgia 9 CIU 3: It was an uphill battle for CIU as they trailed 9-0 going into the fifth inning. The Rams then turned to their two most reliable offense weapons thus far this season as Buddy Bleasdale notched an RBI-single, and then Ward Hacklen recorded a two RBI-double to cut the advantage down to 9-3. Both teams went scoreless in the final four innings as CIU dropped their second game of the day.
BOX SCORE NOTES:
- Jackson Kelley was a bright spot for CIU as he pitched the final two innings of the contest, recording three strikeouts and allowing only one hit.
Up next:
CIU will face No. 6 Faulkner (Ala.) on the final day of the SouthEast Rumble at LakePoint Sports Complex at 2:00 PM.