DANVILLE, Ky. – The Centre baseball team opened conference play with a Saturday doubleheader against the Rhodes Lynx. The Colonels came away with a split, losing the first game 15-4 before bouncing back with a 5-3 win in game 2.
Game 1: Rhodes 15, Centre 4
- The Lynx put two runs on the board in the first inning, but Centre got one back in the bottom half of the first.
Josh Cunningham led off with a double, and then
Dillon Di Iorio and
Ben Prather walked to load the bases before an RBI groundout from
Chase Austin cut the deficit to 2-1.
- Trailing 3-1 in the third, Cunningham led off with another base hit and then advanced to third following a double from
Karson Thompson. An errant Rhodes throw allowed two runs to cross the plate and then a single from
Will Cline scored Prather to give the Colonels a 4-3 lead.
- In the fourth, Rhodes took control of the game as the offense exploded for 11 runs, effectively sealing the deal on the win.
Game 2: Centre 5, Rhodes 3
- Centre got off to a hot start with three runs in the first. Di Iorio lined a double into the gap and scored on a shot up the middle by Thompson. After a Prather single put runners on the corners, a passed ball allowed Thompson to score.
Luc Morgan then singled to score Prather and put Centre up 3-0.
- The Colonels added a run in the bottom of the second as Di Iorio connected on a triple to the warning track. The throw by the Rhodes cutoff man went into the Centre dugout, allowing Di Iorio to score and giving Centre a 4-0 lead.
- Rhodes battled back with two runs in the third and one in the fourth. In Centre's half of the fourth,
Conner Jackson legged out a bunt single. A Cunningham single put runners on the corners, and Jackson would later score to put the Colonels up 5-3.
- In the bottom of the seventh, Prather, who had not allowed an earned run all day, finally started to tire and loaded the bases on a walk, a base hit and a hit by pitch.
Zach Heavern came on in relief facing bases loaded with nobody out and promptly struck out the first batter on a full count. The next two hitters lined out and popped out in foul territory to preserve the victory for the Colonels.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Cunningham's two hits to lead off game 1 extended his streak to seven consecutive at-bats with a hit after going 5-5 on Tuesday.
- Prather improved to 2-0 on the year after allowing three unearned runs in six innings of work. He also finished with two hits, two runs and two RBIs across the two games.
- Heavern earned his first career save after masterful pitching out of the bases loaded jam in game 2.
NEXT UP
The rubber match between the Colonels and Lynx will take place on Sunday at noon.
