Baker Baseball Falls Just Short vs. Two Top-25 Teams at Southeast Rumble

WALESKA, Ga. – In a weekend cut short by weather, the Baker baseball team went 0-2 at the Southeast Rumble this past weekend, falling to No. 9 Taylor, 4-2 and No. 23 Reinhardt, 6-4.

Game One – (L, 4-2)

Freshman Trent Davidson got the start in game number one of the weekend, throwing 5.2 strong innings where he allowed just two runs on five hits while striking out five batters against the No. 9 team in the NAIA. Jake Miller, Kole Starlin and Brayden Vawter all combined to pitch the final 3.1 innings.

Offensively, Baker had eight hits as a team as Sevon Battle and Tanner Twillman each picked up a multi-hit game, while Jon Jenkins and Javier Aguirre had the team's only RBI's.

After going scoreless through four innings, Taylor got on the board first in the top of the fifth on a flyout to centerfield to take a 1-0 lead. Baker fired right back in the bottom half of the fifth on a sac-fly from Aguirre and sent the game to the sixth inning tied at one.

After Taylor scored one in the sixth and one in the seventh, Jon Jenkins led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run, cutting the lead to just one, but a run in the top of the ninth gave Taylor a 4-2 lead and needed just three outs. Baker was able to get runners on second and third in the inning with just one out, but a strikeout and a groundout ended the game as Baker lost a tight one, 4-2.

Game Two – (L, 6-4)

Caden Pogue took to the hill in game two of the weekend, pitching a dominating six innings and allowing zero runs on just three hits while striking out seven batters. Five other pitchers threw for Baker in the final two innings including Clayton Detherage, Gage Callaghan, Ty Clark, Erik Kelly, and Javier Aguirre.

The Wildcats had six different players pick up a hit in game two of the weekend as Jaidon Bowers had two of the team's seven hits and drove in a run. Twillman had the team's only other RBI in the game.

Baker struck first in the top of the second inning on a single from Bowers to left-center, scoring Jenkins and giving the Wildcats a 1-0 lead. Both teams were quiet through the next four innings until Baker added to their lead in the top of the seventh, scoring one on a passed ball and one more on a groundout to lead 3-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Eagles got things going offensively and put up four runs to take the lead over the Wildcats 4-3. Baker was able to tie the game at four in the top of the eighth, but two runs from Reinhardt in the bottom of the eighth helped the Eagles come away with the win, 6-4.

The final two games of the tournament were cancelled due to rain. Baker is now 0-5 on the season. They will be back home at Sauder Field on Friday, Feb. 16, at 2:00 p.m., as they host Missouri Baptist in a doubleheader.

#BakerBuildsChampions