COLUMBIA, S.C. - CIU baseball hosted Reinhardt University (Ga.) on day two of their Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) home series with the Eagles. After dropping a game to Reinhardt (11-9, 4-2 AAC) on Friday, CIU (7-17, 0-9 AAC) hoped to get back in the win column in Saturday's doubleheader but lost the first game 8-4 and the second game 6-3.
GAME ONE: RU 8 CIU 4: The Rams fell into a 3-0 hole early but exploded in the sixth inning. Joshua Hernandez notched an RBI on a sac fly to get the Rams on the board to start the inning off. Then Ward Hacklen capped off the bottom of the sixth with a three-run homer to put CIU up 4-3. However, a three-run homer from Reinhardt in the top of the eighth hurt the Rams' chances for a come-from-behind win as the Eagles took game one 8-4.
BOX SCORE NOTES:
- Ward Hacklen recorded his fourth homerun of the season as the left fielder added three RBI's to his season total.
- Peyton Evans was a bright spot for CIU on the hill as the freshman went seven innings, giving up three earned runs while picking up five K's.
GAME TWO: RU 6 CIU 3: An early error by the Eagles gave CIU a 1-0 advantage in the second inning, but a grand slam highlighted a six-run third inning for the Eagles as CIU was forced into a major deficit. CIU tried to claw their way out on an RBI-double from Britton Morris in the third and a Grant Bodison run in the fourth, but it was not enough as CIU succumbed in game two.
BOX SCORE NOTES:
- Britton Morris records his second RBI double in as many days.
- Noah Moody came off the bench to allow no runs and pick up two strikeouts in two innings while facing just seven batters.
Up next:
CIU will host Aquinas College (Mich.) on Wednesday, March 9, in a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.
