PENSACOLA, Fla. – Centre baseball split its Monday doubleheader at Admiral Fetterman Field at Community Maritime Park, home of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.
The Colonels (9-11) defeated Grinnell (2-4) by an 11-1 margin before falling against No. 14 Wisconsin-Whitewater (6-2) by an 8-4 score.
GAME ONE: Centre 11, Grinnell 1 (7 innings)
- Centre set the tone with a four-run top of the first.
Mark Pyburn led off with a single and
Karson Thompson followed with an RBI double.
Jordan Gunter made it 2-0 by driving in Thompson with a single, and the bases were loaded after consecutive walks drawn by
Josh Cunningham and
Patrick Hope.
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Perry Nadreau delivered a two-out single to bring in Gunter and Cunningham to make it 4-0 before the Colonels took the field on defense.
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David Sickles needed little run support on the mound, however, as the sophomore allowed only three baserunners across the first four innings.
- The Colonels took advantage of several Grinnell errors in the fifth, with Gunter, Cunningham and
Luc Morgan each touching home.
- The next inning, Cunningham and Nadreau each drove in runs to help the Colonels push their lead to 11-1.
- Sickles wound up tossing all seven innings of the run-rule victory, allowing just four hits and one run while facing five above the minimum. He struck out four batters while inducing 10 groundouts.
- Eight different Colonels contributed at least one hit, with Thompson, Gunter and Nadreau providing multiple base knocks.
GAME TWO: UW-Whitewater 8, Centre 4
- The Colonels struck first against the nationally-ranked Warhawks, as Pyburn drove home Nadreau with an RBI double.
- Starter
Carson Werrmann kept the Whitewater bats in check through four innings, but got into trouble in the fifth after a Centre error and a pair of walks loaded the bases. Another fielding error cost the Colonels, and the Warhawks scored three unearned runs before Werrmann escaped the frame.
- Whitewater added to its lead with a two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth, plating four runs on three hits to grab a 7-1 advantage.
- Gunter helped the Colonels climb back in the top of the eighth inning, bringing Pyburn and Thompson in to score with a triple. Hope later singled in Gunter to pull Centre within 7-4.
- The Warhawks added an insurance run in the bottom of the frame, and closed the door on the Colonels with a three-up, three-down ninth.
- Werrmann finished with five innings pitched, allowing just three hits and three unearned runs while fanning five batters.
UP NEXT
Centre returns to action Wednesday, taking on Grinnell again at 12 p.m.
