CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. – Centre baseball matched its program record with the 22nd win of the season Tuesday evening, defeating Thomas More by a 10-4 margin.
This squad joins the 2001 group as the only to win 22 in a season.
Along the way, senior
Drew Schacht became just the second Colonel to reach 200 career hits, joining Eric Moore '07, who finished with 208.
Centre, which finished with a season-best 18 hits, improves to 22-12 overall following the victory, dropping the host Saints to 12-16.
HIGHLIGHTS
Chris Esselman and
Seth Hagan opened the scoring with back-to-back homeruns to start the second inning, and Schacht made it 3-0 with a double to left center that scored
Will Kirk.
Centre added another in the fifth, when
Jordan Gunter singled to right to bring in
Jake Holloway, making it 4-1.
John Nickell scored as a pinch-runner in the seventh, and the Colonels carried a 5-1 lead to the eighth.
Schacht reached hit No. 200 in the eighth, driving in
Will Ahrens with a single up the middle, and he would come around to score later in the inning to increase the lead to 7-1.
B Benzinger smacked a solo homer in the eighth to break an offensive drought for Thomas More, but Gunter answered in the ninth with a clutch two-out, bases-clearing double to left center. Continuing his recent hot streak, Gunter brought in Ahrens, Kirk and Schacht with the hit.
The Saints' Wellbrock hit a two-run homerun to left in the ninth, but it wasn't enough to threaten Centre's advantage.
The Colonels' 18 hits were the program's most since the 2017 season opener against Coast Guard. Kirk led the way with a 5-for-5 effort at the plate, while Schacht and Esselman each finished with three.
Gunter pushed his hit streak up to seven games, and has driven in 13 runs over the past six outings.
Aaryn Chandler got the start for the Colonels, tossing two innings before being relieved by
Hogan Brownley. The sophomore lefty went three scoreless to earn the winning decision.
Paul Fiepke pitched one scoreless frame, while Holloway and Schacht closed out the game on the mound. The staff combined to strike out eight Saints batters and surrender just one walk.
UP NEXT
Centre travels to face Berry in its final Southern Athletic Association series this weekend. The Colonels currently sit fifth in the standings at 8-9, while the Vikings are third at 11-7.
