CLERMONT, Fla. – After Thursday's games were canceled due to rain, Centre softball was able to return to the diamond to close out their spring break trip to central Florida at the Hancock Park complex.
The Colonels (6-21) began the day with a 5-1 victory over Buffalo State (3-8), before falling 7-4 to Manchester (4-10) in the last game of the week.
GAME ONE: Centre 5, Buffalo State 1
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Sawyer Lecius reached on a single to right in the top of the first, and later came around to score on an RBI groundout from
Mia Tomillo for the game's first run.
- In the top of the fourth,
Andrea Searcy and Tomillo opened the frame with consecutive singles. The Bengals were able to record outs on the next two batters, leaving runners on second and third with two away. Sophomore
Sam Rogers stepped to the plate and delivered a massive 3-run homer – the first of her collegiate career – to give Centre a 4-0 advantage.
- Starter
Lucy Baseheart took her scoreless outing into the bottom of the fourth, when Buffalo State's Abigail Kruse got a run back with a solo homerun.
- Centre got an insurance run in the top of the seventh, when Tomillo had a two-out RBI single up the middle that scored
Rylie Bentley.
- Searcy struck out the last two batters in the bottom of the seventh to secure the complete-game victory. She finished with six strikeouts, allowed only six hits and left eight Bengals baserunners stranded.
GAME TWO: Manchester 7, Centre 4
- The Colonels scored first in Friday's second game, as well, when Searcy contributed a sacrifice fly to bring in
Kaylen Storms.
- Manchester leveled the score in the top of the third, and in the fifth would break the game open with a five-run frame. The Spartans totaled six hits in the inning and took advantage of an early Centre error.
- Centre's answer came in the bottom of the inning, where the Colonels pieced together a two-out rally that produced three runs. Storms singled and eventually scored on a Manchester fielding error, and Lecius followed across home on an RBI single from
Brylin Isaacs. Rogers brought in Tomillo to make it 6-4 through five complete.
- The Spartans manufactured another run in the sixth, and Centre went down in order during the final two at-bats to end the contest.
- Storms went 3-for-4 with two runs from the leadoff spot, and Lecius finished 2-for-4 with a run scored.
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Branan Cobb went 4.1 innings in the start, allowing five hits and two earned runs while striking out two. Searcy fanned three batters in 2.2 innings of relief.
UP NEXT
The Colonels return to the Bluegrass State and take on in-state rival Transylvania in Lexington, Ky., Tuesday, March 29, for a doubleheader starting at 5 p.m.
