DANVILLE, Ky. – The Centre baseball team won its first series of the 2026 season as they took the rubber match against the University of Chicago with a 7-6 victory on Sunday.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, Centre took the lead in the second without registering a hit.
Aaron Lopez and
Evan Rygalski opened the inning with walks, and then an error by the Maroons allowed Lopez to score the tying run. An RBI groundout by
Baylor Woodall brought in Rygalski for a 2-1 Centre lead.
- Chicago retook the lead with runs in each of the next two innings. In the fourth,
Graham Johnson hit a deep double off the wall and eventually scored on a base hit by
JT Weisberg to make it a 3-3 game.
- The score remained tied until the bottom of the eighth when Rygalski blasted a double into the gap to lead off. After Johnson was hit by a pitch, Woodall laid down a beautiful bunt and the throw to third base got away, allowing pinch runner
Tristan Vallone to score the go-ahead run.
- After
Jamison Craig walked to load the bases,
Forrest Day walked on four pitches to bring in another run. A sacrifice fly by
Chase Austin scored Woodall to make it 6-3. After another Chicago error loaded the bases again, Craig scored on an RBI groundout from
Evan Weyler to cap off a four-run inning for the Colonels.
- The Maroons made a game of it in the ninth as a three-run homer made it a 7-6 game, but
Tommy Severson, working his fourth inning of relief, got the last hitter to fly out to center field to secure his first collegiate victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Johnson and
Ayden Lohr led the Colonels with two hits each. Woodall was the only Centre player to drive in multiple runs.
- The rainy conditions made for a sloppy game as both teams combined for seven errors.
NEXT UP
The Colonels will begin a three-game set against Trine with a doubleheader on Feb. 21.
