MOUNT BERRY, Ga. – Centre baseball wrapped up its season series with the Berry Vikings with a Sunday doubleheader. The Colonels earned a 5-2 victory in game 1 and followed that up with a 2-0 seven-inning shutout in game 2. The doubleheader sweep marks the first series victory for Centre against Berry since 2016.
 
Game 1: Centre 5, Berry 2
 
- The Colonels struck first with a two-out rally their first time up to bat. Ben Prather and Evan Weyler delivered consecutive singles to put runners on the corners and a Berry error plated the first run of the game.
- Centre manufactured more runs in the second as Karson Thompson reached on an error and Connor Jackson singled. The runners advanced and Thompson eventually scored on an RBI groundout by Josh Cunningham. Another Vikings error allowed Michael Lynch to reach, brought in Jackson and the Colonels took a 3-0 lead.
- Berry cut into the lead with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the second, but Harrison Cowdrey had another strong start and avoided further damage.
- Cowdrey faced another jam in the sixth as an error and a base hit put runners on the corners, but the freshman pitcher forced a 4-6-3 double play to get out of trouble.
- The Vikings put the tying run on in the bottom of the eighth, only for Jack Gerber to induce Berry to ground into their second straight inning-ending double play to preserve the Centre lead.
- The Colonels tacked on another run in the ninth as Cunningham led off with an infield hit and eventually scored as Prather went the other way for a base hit that put Centre up 4-2. Weyler lined a base hit up the middle, and then he and pinch runner Will Kempf executed a successful double steal, which allowed Kempf to score on a sac fly by Aaron Lopez.
- Gerber pitched a scoreless ninth to lock up the victory for the Colonels.
 
Game 2: Centre 2, Berry 0
 
- Centre quickly got on the board in the second game as Cunningham, Lynch and Prather led off the game with base hits, the last one plating the Centre leadoff hitter for a quick 1-0 lead.
- In the third, Cunningham led off with an opposite field triple and scored after Prather reached on a misplayed fly ball.
- Prather, who also started the seven-inning game, allowed a leadoff hit in the fifth, but quickly responded by starting a 1-6-3 double play. That turned out to be the last baserunner the Vikings got as Prather set Berry down in order over the last two innings to get the shutout victory.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORES
 
- Cowdrey was once again outstanding in game 1, getting the win after working seven solid innings and scattering four hits without allowing an earned run.
- Cunningham, Prather and Weyler all finished with multiple hits in game 1.
- Gerber picked up the six-out save with a scoreless final two innings.
- The top of the Centre order did the damage in game 2 as Cunningham, Lynch and Prather went a combined 7-11 at the plate, with Cunningham scoring both the Colonels' runs in the win.
- Prather remained unbeaten on the year with his most efficient start to date, as he needed just 73 pitches to complete the seven-inning shutout. He only allowed two hits after the first inning and never faced a runner in scoring position for the entire game.
- Defensively, Weyler mowed down both of Berry's stolen base attempts in the doubleheader with a pair of strikes to second.
 
NEXT UP
 
The Colonels will be back in action on Tuesday with a trip to Berea.