The Emory University baseball team opened its 2024 season on Friday, splitting a doubleheader against in-state rival Berry College in Rome, Georgia.

The Vikings won the first game of the afternoon, 6-5, in walk-off fashion before the Eagles pulled even in the series with a 11-2, seven-inning drubbing in the night cap.

Junior Jack Halloran picked up where he left off, going 3-for-7 with two home runs and seven RBI across the two games while junior Ryan Reynolds earned the first pitching win of the season, carrying a shutout into the sixth inning in game two.

Game 1: Berry 6, Emory 5

The Eagles trailed 4-1 heading into the sixth inning of game one until a three-run frame brought the game even. Junior Matthew Sicoli had a two-out double to right field but a costly error by the Berry defender allowed senior Jacob Grossman to race around third and score Emory's second run of the game. The error extended the inning and Halloran made Berry pay, crushing a two-run shot over the centerfield fence to tie the score.

Berry regained the lead again in the bottom of the sixth with a RBI single before Halloran collected another RBI hit to bring the score even once more at 5-5.

Vikings' Riley Uhls was game one hero though as he came through with the game-winning hit with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth to give Berry the win. Uhls finished the game 3-for-5 at the plate and had three RBI.

Sophomore Josh Zuckerman pitched well in his season debut, allowing four runs on nine hits over five innings. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.

Game 2: Emory 11, Berry 2 (7 innings)

The Emory bats could not be stopped in the second game of the afternoon, taking advantage of five Berry errors to score 11 runs over the first six frames.

Halloran led off the scoring with a sac fly in the first inning to bring home Grossman. Two innings later, Sicoli kicked started a four-run inning with a RBI single before Halloran had another sac fly. Sophomore Adam Geller and junior Blake Dincman contributed to the scoring with run-scoring doubles.

Grossman made the score 7-0 as he first singled home freshman Aidan Conley with a single in the fourth before plating Conley again in the sixth with a double. Grossman's hit in the sixth began another big inning for the Eagles as they scored five runs. Sophomore Zach Wasserlauf and Sicoli had RBI at-bats before Halloran completed the onslaught with another two-run blast.

Reynolds was strong in his debut, taking a shutout into the sixth inning to earn the decision. He allowed just one run on seven hits and one walk while punching out six.

The Eagles and Vikings will conclude the three-game opening series on Saturday in Atlanta with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 PM at Chappell Park.