DANVILLE, Ky. – Centre baseball opened its 2024 campaign in a big way as the Colonels knocked off the Wilmington Quakers by a score of 22-4 in seven innings.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- After
Luc Morgan pitched his way out of runners on the corners, the Centre offense exploded in the first inning.
Josh Cunningham lined the first pitch into the gap for a double, and after an infield hit by
Chase Austin,
Ben Prather was hit by a pitch. The runners advanced on a wild pitch to score Cunningham for the game's first run.
-
Evan Weyler and
Aaron Lopez worked consecutive walks, with the latter plating another run.
Karson Thompson doubled down the left field line to score a pair of runs, and then Lopez scored on an RBI groundout by
Jamie Laframboise to cap off a five-run opening frame.
- Cunningham and Austin started the second inning with base hits, with Prather bringing in the Centre leadoff hitter on a groundout to make it a 6-0 game.
- The Colonels put up another crooked number in the third. Lopez and Thompson led off with walks and
Michael Lynch hit one up the middle to make it 7-0. A sacrifice fly by Laframboise plated Thompson for the Colonels' eighth run.
- In the home half of the fourth inning, Austin led off with a base hit up the middle. Prather smacked a double into the gap, scoring Austin and eventually scoring himself after two errors on the play. Weyler doubled off the left field wall and scored on a Thompson sac fly, and the Colonels took an 11-0 lead.
- Centre loaded the bases once again to start the fifth as
Ayden Lohr and Cunningham singled and
Ethan Carter was hit by a pitch. Prather connected on another gapper for a triple to clear the bases and scored on an error to make it 15-0.
- The Quakers got on the board in the sixth for four runs, but Centre continued to pour it on, sending a dozen hitters to the plate in the bottom of the inning and scoring seven runs. Prather hit his second triple of the day to drive in two, and
Conner Jackson had a two-RBI single in the rally.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Prather tied a school record with eight RBIs on the day as the 2023 SAA Newcomer of the Year went 3-4 at the plate with four runs scored.
- In addition to Prather, Cunningham, Austin, Lynch and Jackson all finished with multiple hits as the Colonels collected 19 total hits for the afternoon.
- Morgan got the win as he struck out five in 5.1 innings of work.
NEXT UP
Centre baseball will wrap up their series against Wilmington on Sunday with a doubleheader starting at noon.
