DANVILLE, Ky. – The Centre baseball team took a break from conference play for a midweek in-state non-conference clash against the Berea Mountaineers. Centre broke open a tie game with a big sixth inning before hanging on for an 8-7 victory.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- The Mountaineers struck first in the opening inning, plating their first run after consecutive doubles. They added another in the second but
Cam Tegge came on in relief to pitch out of a bases loaded jam.
- Centre got one back in the third as
Jordan Gunter came close to going yard, tripling off the fence in center field and later scoring after a balk.
- Trailing 3-1 in the fourth,
Braden Wilson was hit by a pitch to lead off. Three batters later, the Colonels tied the game on a towering blast by
Conner Jackson.
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Josh Cunningham led off Centre's fifth inning with a single and eventually scored the go-ahead run following an RBI groundout by Wilson.
- Berea rallied to tie the score at 4-4 in their half of the sixth, but the Colonels responded in a big way in the bottom of the inning with four runs.
Perry Nadreau led off with a seeing-eye single between third base and shortstop, and then Jackson got on again after an error to put runners on first and second. The runners were advanced over and
Mark Pyburn brought both them home as he poked a single through the middle of the infield to put Centre up 6-4. Cunningham worked a walk and eventually scored after a sacrifice fly by
Karson Thompson.
Braden Wilson then delivered an infield hit to score
Patrick Hope, who had walked after Cunningham, to give the Colonels an 8-4 lead.
- In the top of the eighth, the Mountaineers clawed back with a two-out rally, cutting the deficit to 8-7 on a two-run triple. Thompson moved from second base to the mound and pitched Centre out of the threat as Jackson made a great throw from shortstop to get the final out on a close play.
- Berea got the leadoff runner on in the top of the ninth before
Luc Morgan entered from third base in relief of Thompson to strike out the final batter and get the save.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Jackson's two-run homer in the fourth inning was the sophomore's first long ball of his career.
- Gunter had another productive day at the plate, going 3-3 with a walk and a run scored. Three other Centre players recorded multiple hits in the win.
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David Kinsbrunner worked 3.2 innings of relief with four strikeouts to earn the victory, the first of his career.
NEXT UP
The Colonels will head back on the road and battle the Sewanee Tigers for an Easter weekend series.
