BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Centre baseball team wrapped up its season series with the no. 22 Birmingham-Southern Panthers on Sunday. After winning a wild seven-inning game 5-4 to start today's doubleheader, the Centre bats went cold in a 2-1 loss in game 2.
GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS
- Centre got off to a promising start as
Jordan Gunter led off the game by reaching on an error. After
Patrick Hope was hit by a pitch,
Jake Holloway ripped a base hit to right to put the first run on the board. Following a sacrifice bunt,
Dillon Di Iorio's RBI groundout put Centre up 2-0.
- The Panthers scored a pair of runs in the third, but the Colonels responded the next time they were at the plate as
Karson Thompson hit his first career home run, a solo shot, to put Centre back in front.
- The back and forth battle continued as BSC's Cole Steadman homered to tie the score once again. The Panthers looked to take the lead for the first time after the next two batters walked, but
Chris Esselman replaced Holloway on the mound and pitched out of the jam to preserve a 3-3 tie.
- That tie would not last long, as Centre staged a two-out rally in the sixth. Thompson walked and
Jamie Laframboise single. Gunter reached on a BSC error to load the bases and Hope was hit by another pitch for a painful RBI that put the Colonels back on top.
- In the bottom of the sixth, BSC tied the game on a sacrifice fly, setting the stage for a dramatic seventh inning. With two outs,
J. Ross worked a walk and
Will Ahrens singled. A wild pitch allowed Ross to advance to third and Thompson ripped the first pitch he saw up the middle for a base hit to score the go-ahead run.
- Esselman shut the door on the Panthers in the bottom of the seventh to earn the win.
GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS
- The Colonels once again scored first as Centre loaded the bases in the first inning and Hope scored after Di Iorio worked a walk.
- From there, Centre only managed one hit for the rest of the ballgame, a single bi Di Iorio in the fourth.
- The Panthers scored twice in the third inning and while the Centre bullpen performed admirably, that was all BSC starting pitcher Tristan Harvin needed, going the distance for the 2-1 win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORES
- Thompson's homer in the fourth and game-winning single in the seventh represented the first RBIs of the season for the freshman.
- Centre took advantage of four BSC errors in game 1, scoring a pair of unearned runs in the first and keeping their rally alive in the seventh with the help of Panther miscues.
NEXT UP
Centre baseball will return to Gary Wright Field next week as they host the Millsaps Majors in a four-game set.
