KINGSPORT, TENN. - After staving off elimination on Thursday, CIU Baseball returned to the field Friday morning for a win-or-go-home showdown with top-seeded Reinhardt University, ranked No. 5 in the NAIA. The Rams pushed the Eagles to the brink in a near-upset, but late home runs by Reinhardt ended CIU's postseason run. The Rams finish the season at 30-22, recording the second-most wins in program history and making their deepest run yet in the AAC Tournament.

Reinhardt 4 CIU 3: With two outs in the top of the first, the Rams loaded the bases and struck first with a clutch two-RBI single from Eric Doyon. Reinhardt quickly answered with two runs of their own in the bottom half to tie it up. Davin Miller-Madden held the Eagles scoreless over the next four innings, and Doyon gave CIU the lead again with a solo home run in the fourth. Kai Smith doubled in the sixth but was left stranded, keeping the Rams up 3-2. Reinhardt turned the game around in the bottom of the eighth with back-to-back home runs to take a 4-3 lead. Smith led off the ninth with a single, but CIU was unable to bring him home, falling just short in a hard-fought battle.

Box Score Highlights: 

• Smith and Doyon led the team with two hits.

• Doyon recorded all three RBI for the Rams.

• Miller-Madden struck out four batters with one earned run in 7.0 IP. 

What Head Coach Jonathan Johnson is saying, " This was a special group of young men who achieved several "firsts" for the program. They set a school record for most wins in a regular season and finished higher in the conference rankings than any team in program history, ranking top five in pitching and hitting categories.  This 2025 team will be hard to duplicate in the next several years. I will miss those not returning and look forward to those who will be back next year. We will get back to work in September. This year's group set the bar high and will keep the teams challenged to achieve what they can accomplish in the future."