Narrow Loss to Milligan Sends Eagles Home from the AAC Tournament

KINGSPORT, Tenn. - Reinhardt carried an early two-run lead into the late innings, but Milligan broke through in the seventh and handed the Eagles a 3-2 loss Thursday at Hunter Wright Stadium.

The decisive swing came from Wyatt Heidle, who drove a two-run home run to left-center in the bottom of the seventh to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 Milligan lead. That rally erased the strong start Reinhardt built in the first inning, when Louis Dion lined a two-run single to right field to score Cannon Dorsey and Cade Chamlee for a 2-0 advantage.

Reinhardt's offense was limited to five hits, but Chamlee helped set the tone early with a two-hit day that included a double and a run scored. Dion delivered the Eagles' biggest hit of the morning, finishing with two RBIs. Reinhardt did not score after the opening inning and left three runners on base while striking out six times over 31 at-bats.

Milligan began chipping away in the third. Braxton Baird tripled to right field and later scored on Gaven Jones' double, cutting the lead to 2-1. Baird finished with two hits, and Heidle also had two hits in four at-bats to go with the go-ahead homer and two RBIs as Milligan totaled seven hits and four walks.

On the mound, Milligan starter Jack McLaury kept Reinhardt from extending its lead and worked 8 1/3 innings to earn the win. McLaury allowed five hits and two earned runs while striking out four over 119 pitches. Cole Wessel recorded the final two outs, including two strikeouts in the ninth, to secure the result.

Reinhardt's best moment remained the first-inning burst, but Milligan's late power decided a tightly played neutral-site game. After the Eagles grabbed control early, Heidle's seventh-inning shot provided the final margin in a one-run contest that stayed unsettled until Wessel finished it in the ninth.

This will wrap up the season for the Eagles, and the focus will not be on the 2026-27 year as underclassmen will look to fill the roles vacated by the graduating seniors.  The staff will take time to review the season and see what needs to be added with players from the transfer portal and incoming freshmen. Reinhardt has many graduating after this season so the 2027 team will have a brand new look, but team leaders like Cannon Dorsey, Louis Dion, and pitcher Riley Gaskins will give the team pieces to build around.