Dion, Cullars Homer Twice in Doubleheader Split in Spartanburg

Spartanburg, SC - Reinhardt Baseball used a pair of explosive middle innings to win the opener and then came up just short in the nightcap, splitting a road doubleheader with Spartanburg Methodist on Friday at Mooneyham Field in Spartanburg, S.C. The Eagles took Game 1 of the doubleheader, 12-8, behind a six-run fifth inning and a standout performance from leadoff hitter Louis Dion, before dropping Game 2, 6-4, in a seven-inning contest.

In Game 1, Reinhardt erased an early deficit and steadily pulled away, turning a 1-1 game into an 11-1 lead by the middle of the sixth. After Spartanburg Methodist's Jarian Pinckney opened the scoring with a solo home run in the bottom of the first, the Eagles answered in the second when Dion doubled and scored on a single from Cannon Dorsey. Dion then gave Reinhardt its first lead in the fourth with a solo home run to right-center, setting the tone for the offensive surge to come.

The decisive blow arrived in the top of the fifth, when the Eagles sent six runs across to break the game open. With the bases loaded, Cade Chamlee drew a walk to force in a run, and Dorsey followed with a two-run single to right-center. A subsequent fielding miscue allowed another run to score, and Miguel Salazar capped the inning with an RBI single as Reinhardt built an 8-1 cushion. One inning later, the Eagles added three more runs on long ball power: Cedric Cullars homered to left, and Dion launched his second home run of the game, a two-run shot that stretched the margin to 11-1.  Dion has the team lead in home runs with six total, with about three weeks into the 2026 season.

Spartanburg Methodist continued to battle, scoring twice in the fourth and once in the seventh before mounting a four-run rally in the eighth keyed by a two-run single from Pinckney. The Pioneers finished with 12 hits and left 13 runners on base, but Reinhardt's early cushion and 11 team strikeouts on the mound helped secure the 12-8 victory. Offensively, the Eagles matched Spartanburg Methodist's 12 hits while taking advantage of four Pioneer errors and generating 10 runners left on. Dion finished 3-for-5 with four runs scored, three RBIs, and two home runs. Dorsey added three hits and four RBIs, and Cullars chipped in a solo home run.

The Eagles' Ty Pangborn, who pitched four innings and recorded six strikeouts. Ryan Mahoney came in for relief and pitched three innings, recording two strikeouts and only giving up one run. Darius Dunn and Austin Puett finished out the game for the Eagles, each pitching an inning.  Mahoney picked up his first win of the 2026 season.

The roles flipped in Game 2, as Spartanburg Methodist used one big inning of its own and steady pitching to earn a 6-4 win in the seven-inning finale. Cullars again sparked the Eagles' offense, opening the game with a leadoff home run to left-center in the top of the first. Reinhardt added another run in the second, with Cullars doubling to right-center to drive in a run and push the Eagles in front early.

Spartanburg Methodist responded immediately with a four-run bottom of the second that turned the game. Tanner Martin put the Pioneers on the board with an RBI double, Kohen Bridges followed with a run-scoring double of his own, and Pinckney delivered a two-RBI single to give Spartanburg Methodist a 4-2 lead it would not relinquish. The Pioneers added insurance with single runs in the fourth and fifth — a run-scoring single from Pinckney after a double by Bryce Satterwhite in the fourth and a sacrifice fly fromLane Schrader in the fifth — to extend the margin to 6-2.

Reinhardt threatened late, plating a run in the seventh and bringing the tying run to the plate, but the Pioneers' bullpen closed the door. The Eagles finished with four runs on five hits and one error, while Spartanburg Methodist totaled six runs on nine hits with one error. Cullars led the Reinhardt offense again with two hits, including a home run and a double, and two RBIs. For Spartanburg Methodist, Pinckney posted two hits and three RBIs, Martin collected two hits with a double, and Miles Corcoran earned the win in relief with 4.0 innings of one-hit ball and five strikeouts. Reinhardt starter Brock Weiss and reliever Miles Morris pitched for the Eagles in the loss. Weiss recorded five innings while Morris finish the game with one.

Overall, it was a successful trip for the Eagles, taking two of the AAC series. Offense is starting to produce for Reinhardt behind the bats of players like Louis Dion and Cannon Dorsey.  Senior Cedric Cullars had a hot afternnon which might get him more at-bats in the upcoming games.  The Eagles will not have a midweek game this upcoming week and they will have a weekend series with the Cumberlands Patriots (Ky.)