WALESKA, Ga. - Facing two of the NAIA's best pitchers, the Midway baseball team finally looked to be on the cusp of an offensive breakthrough, only to be robbed by mere inches on the game's final play.

Pinch-runner Grant Stone was thrown out at home attempting to score from second on a wild pitch and Reinhardt, the NAIA's No. 6-ranked team, escaped with a 1-0 win Friday, withstanding a great effort by Midway pitchers Jesse Komoroski and Blake Kincaid.

The game offered little in the way of offensive fireworks outside of the first and last innings. Reinhardt's Robert Phelps led off the bottom of the first with a single then scored an unearned run on a sacrifice fly by Adrian Vargas.

That would be the only run surrendered by Komoroski, who had his second-consecutive quality start, scattering six hits over six innings with two walks and a strikeout. In 11 innings this season, Komoroski has allowed two runs and nine hits with an ERA  of 0.82.

Kincaid then kept Midway alive with two scoreless innings of relief.

The offense was tasked with battling Reinhardt starter Andrew Herbert and reliever Brett Allen, both of whom were named to the NAIA Preseason All-American Team. Herbert struck out nine while allowing five hits, with just one coming in his final four innings of work.

Allen came in and worked a 1-2-3 eighth, then after giving up a leadoff walk in the ninth, recorded back-to-back strikeouts to push Midway to its final out.

But the drama built up quickly, beginning with a Barrett McGill single, then intensifying when Allen made an errant throw on a pickoff play at first base.

And though Stone looked to get a good jump, Reinhardt right fielder Barry Eiseman made a perfect throw home, where catcher Ryan Stephens tagged a sliding Stone out just before his hand touched home plate.

McGill reached base three times, with he and Josh Halterman both recording two hits for 1-3 Midway, which is back in Waleska for the second of a three-game series against Reinhardt at 2 p.m.