WALESKA, Ga. – In a Southern States Athletic Conference slugfest on Saturday afternoon, the Reinhardt College baseball club dropped a 14-13 decision to the Berry College Vikings at the Jim & Syble Boring Sports Complex. Following the game, Reinhardt's nine seniors were honored. They include Dan Audia (Woodstock, Ga.), Joseph Bracelin (Canton, Ga.), Jonathan Byers (Dalton, Ga.), Zach Dickens (Canton, Ga.), Tim Duncan (Acworth, Ga.), Greg Ihlenburg (Canton, Ga.), Daniel Jape (Woodstock, Ga.), Jay Proffit (Marietta, Ga.) and Adam Wangcharoen (Powder Springs, Ga.).  

The Eagles scored three times in the first inning before Berry tied the contest in the second. Reinhardt tallied three runs in the bottom of the second but the Vikings again evened the score with a three-run third. The guests took a 7-6 lead with a run in the top of the fourth inning but the Eagles surged ahead 11-7 with three runs in the bottom of the fourth, and single runs in each of the fifth and sixth. Berry cut into the deficit with a run in the seventh inning before Reinhardt made it a 12-8 game by scoring once in the eighth. The Vikings then exploded with a six-run ninth inning and held the hosts to just one run in the bottom half in taking two of the three games in the series.

Berry racked up 23 hits and Reinhardt pounded out 20. The Eagles committed the contest's only error and stranded 11 baserunners. The Vikings left nine runners on base.

For Reinhardt, Joe Niehoff (St. Cloud, Minn.) went 3-for-4 with an RBI while Jape was 3-for-5 with a home run, double, walk, six RBIs and two runs scored. Ihlenburg finished 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI while Michael Willis (Douglasville, Ga.) went 3-for-6 with a homer, two RBIs and pair of runs scored. Daniel Hester (Atlanta, Ga.) ended 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored while freshman Harry Nutter (Jonesboro, Ga.) was 2-for-5 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI. Dickens had a hit in his only at-bat while Chad Hiddleson (Marietta, Ga.) singled, walked and drove in a run. Jarrod Willis (Douglasville, Ga.) added a hit, walk and scored two times while Brad Blalock (Grayson, Ga.) singled and knocked in a run.

Fifteen pitchers were used in the game, including nine by the Eagles. Byers was the starter for Reinhardt and threw 2⅔ innings with two strikeouts. Hester was tagged with the loss in relief, allowing three unearned runs with one strikeout in one inning of work.

The Eagles fall to 28-26 overall and finish 10-17 in SSAC regular-season play while Berry is 34-15 overall and ended 15-12 in the conference. Both clubs will begin play in the SSAC Tournament on Wednesday. The eight-team, double-elimination event will be hosted by Faulkner University in Montgomery, Ala.