Danville, KY - Centre Softball finally had its turn to kickoff its 2026 season on Saturday with a doubleheader against Kenyon. The Colonels put on a show and then some for the home crowd as the team pulled off a miraculous comeback in game 1, then dominated game 2 to sweep the Owls.
Game 1
The opener got off to a rough start for Centre as Kenyon scored 6 off starter
Kennedy Caudill in 2+ innings of work. The Owls would build a 7-0 lead in the middle of the 3rd before Colonels mounted their charge.
Brinley Muller started a rally in the bottom of the 3rd with a single and steal of 2nd.
Layne Ogle then followed and reached base after a Kenyon error to put runners on the corners.
Emily Lammers struck out to follow but the ball scooted away, allowing Muller to scamper home and Ogle to get to second. Two batters later,
Kira Mashburn looped a single to right, scoring Ogle and getting the Colonels within 5.
The Colonels' next big rally came in the bottom of the 5th. Ogle started it with a laser double to center.
Madison Skibo came on to run for Ogle and promptly stole third. After a hit batter and walk, the Colonels loaded the bases with 1 out. A wild pitch brought Skibo home to cut the Kenyon lead to 7-3.
Juliana Aragon followed with a single to center, scoring 2 runs to make it a 7-5 game.
Jada Challiss laced an RBI single to right as Centre trimmed the margin to 1 heading to the 6th.
Kenyon was able to answer back with 4 runs in the top of the inning, including a 3-run double to grab an 11-6 lead. Centre would remain undaunted. With 1 on in the bottom of the inning,
Layne Ogle launched a ball to deep left center that hit the top of the fence and went over for a 2-run homer to bring Centre right back within 3 at 11-8. The Colonels added another run in the inning with a single from Aragon.
Centre got its chance to complete the comeback in the bottom of the 7th. Back-to-back singles from
Rylee Sandifer and
Brinley Muller started the rally. With the pair on the corners, Muller took 2nd base. The throw down allowed Sandifer to swipe home to make it an 11-10 game. Muller scooted over to 3rd as Kenyon tried to throw out Sandifer at the plate.
Layne Ogle followed with a walk and steal of 2nd.
Baylee Estes then followed with a groundout to second that brought Muller home to tie the game at 11.
Anna Huber then hit a grounder up the middle that was just enough for Ogle to score the game winner as Centre scored 10 runs over the final 3 innings to walk off Kenyon, 12-11.
Sophia Lay pitched the 7th inning and picked up the win.
Game 2
Although the opening win was thrilling for Centre, the game took 2 hours, 43 minutes to play and the Colonels were not interested in a repeat in game 2. Starter
Ashley Howard struck out 2 of 3 in the top of the first to keep the momentum going. She was given a lead in the bottom of the inning thanks to an RBI ground out from
Layne Ogle that scored
Rylee Sandifer.
Kenyon scored a tying run in the top of the 2nd but the Colonels kept the offensive attack going in the bottom of the inning.
Kira Mashburn led off the inning with a single. With 2 out, she moved to second as
Jada Challiss reached thanks to a Kenyon error.
Rylee Sandifer drew a walk to load the bases. With
Brinley Muller at the dish, a wild pitch scored Sandifer to put the Colonels up, 2-1. Muller then slapped a single through the left side to score Challiss. Both runs were unearned after the error, but the Colonels were happy for the gift and took a 3-1 lead after 2.
Howard worked around an error in the top of the 3rd to keep Kenyon stuck on a single run. The Centre bats continued to reward their starter in the bottom of the inning.
Emily Lammers and
Kira Mashburn reached with singles.
Juliana Aragon then laid down a squeeze bunt that was too good for the Kenyon defense to handle. Lammers scored from 3rd for a 4-1 lead. With 2 out, Centre got back-to-back RBI singles from Challiss and Sandifer for a 6-1 lead.
Layne Ogle then stepped in with the bases loaded and laced a single to center to bring 2 more runs in. Centre tallied 6 hits and 5 runs in the inning to break the game open and take an 8-1 lead to the 4th. The score stayed the same into the 5th.
Kenyon got 2 runs back with 2 outs in the 5th to cut Centre's lead to 8-3. Howard was then able to induce a grounder to strand two runners on and avoid any further damage. The offense got its chance for the knockout with 2 outs in the bottom of the inning.
Rylee Sandifer started the rally with a single and steal of 2nd.
Brinley Muller and
Layne Ogle then drew walks to load the bases.
Emily Lammers then decided enough was enough. She got a fastball on the outer half of the plate and launched a missile over the wall in right centre for a walkoff grand slam as Centre invoked the mercy rule and a 12-3 win.
Ashley Howard got the win after going all 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on only 4 hits.
Brinley Muller dazzled in her collegiate debut, going 5-7 at the plate with 4 runs scored and 3 stolen bases.
Rylee Sandifer did exactly what a good leadoff hitter does. She reached base in 6 of 8 at-bats with 5 hits and also 4 runs scored to go with 2 stolen bases. The Colonels also ran wild with 9 stolen bases on the day with out being caught.
With Sunday's scheduled games against Kenyon and Berea canceled due to weather, Centre is next in action on Saturday, February 28th in a doubleheader against Asbury and Olivet starting at 1:00pm.
