BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Following a loss in the opening round on Friday in the 2023 Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Softball Tournament, the third-seeded Centre softball team (17-20, 10-8 SAA) were put in a 'win or go home' mentality walking into Saturday's matchup. The team not only took down their first opponent in a late-game thriller, but survived and advanced past their second game in an extra-inning duel immediately after to move to the later stage of the Birmingham-Southern pod.
 
GAME ONE: Centre 8, Hendrix 7
- The Gold & White were first to strike, scoring a run in their first set of at bats in the top of the first inning. Izzy Rushing pushed a single up the middle of the field, followed by freshman Tori Candler's single into center field that would move Rushing across home from second base.
- After starting pitcher Lucy Baseheart only allowed three hits in three innings, the Colonels stacked up a bigger lead off Hailey Watson's RBI single, Rushing's sacrifice fly and Candler's two RBI's through a single to right-center field.
- Hendrix would put Centre's backs against the wall, slapping seven runs combined in the fifth and sixth innings to earn a two-run lead late.
- Emily Lammers and Sam Rogers cracked two consecutive singles to start the seventh, Kaylee Gregory's single right after driving home one run to cut the Warriors' lead to one. 
- Mia Tomillo would crack a fourth-straight hit in the inning with no outs, earning a multi-base hit to score the tying run of the contest and clear the bases.
- After Watson singled up the middle to push Tomillo to third base, Cheney Floyd would drive in the leading run off a sacrifice fly to center field to bring home the leading baserunner and win. 

GAME TWO: Centre 7, Rhodes 6 (9 innings)
- The Colonels opened their second game of the day with another set of runs in the first inning, Candler and Emily Lammers each putting out swings that drive in RBI's for a quick 2-0 lead.
- The Lynx would respond in the second inning with two runs of their of their own, tying the game.
- Abby Duncan would break the tie with a single up the middle of the field, her hit driving in Floyd for the go-ahead run.
- Like a game of cat-and-mouse, Rhodes would respond again with a run in the bottom of the third to re-tie the game.
- After Rogers laid down a double to open the inning, the Colonels chose Sunnie Woske to pinch run to score another go-ahead run. Woske would do just that, thanks to Ogle's double out in left-center field.
- The Lynx would look to surpass the tie in the fifth inning, placing three runs on the field to earn a two-run lead late in the game.
- After Ogle's homer in the sixth cut the deficit to one, Duncan was able to reach third base off of Rushing and Candler's at bats. The freshman would score the tying run soon after in the seventh inning, crossing home plate on Lammers' tough grounder to third base.
- With Rushing doubling to left center, Candler ripped the game-winning RBI right from the Lynx with a triple to right field, her first this season.
- Tomillo would claim the win for Centre by capping her fourth inning of work after pushing three-up-three-down on the Lynx in the bottom of the ninth, not even giving up a single hit during the stretch to keep Centre's hopes alive. 

UP NEXT
The Colonels near the later stages of the bracket now, facing off against the pod host in Birmingham-Southern on Sunday, April 30 in another survive or advance situation. The first pitch will take place at 1 p.m. ET, looking to knock off the SAA's second-seed team.