Danville, KY - Centre entered the last non-conference home weekend off to its best start since 2015. The Colonels looked to keep it rolling against Oberlin and were able to maintain the momentum with a well-earned split against the Yeowomen.
Game 1: Oberlin 3, Centre 2
Sophia Lay started the game for the Colonels and looked strong early, striking out 2 of 3 to start the game. The Colonels rewarded their starter with a lead in the bottom of the 1st. With 1 out,
Brinley Muller drew a walk and went to 2nd on a
Layne Ogle single. Both would then motor around to score, thanks to a missile down the right field line from
Emily Lammers for a 2-0 lead after 1.
Oberlin led off the second with a double, but Lay was able to wiggle out of trouble and not allow the run to score to keep her lead. Centre had a golden chance to pad the lead in the bottom of the inning.
Juliana Aragon led off with a grounder to short that was mishandled, allowing the Centre catcher to go to 2nd on the error.
Kira Mashburn then laid down a sac bunt to move Aragon to 3rd.
Cheney Floyd followed with a bloop single to shallow center, but Aragon had to hold at 3rd.
Rylee Sandifer was then hit by a pitch to load the bases with the 1 out.
Brinley Muller then tapped a ball to 3rd as Aragon was out at home on the force. With 2 out,
Layne Ogle hit a grounder to 3rd that was handled for the final out of the inning.
After a quiet 3rd, Oberlin broke through in the 4th. A leadoff triple put immediate pressure on the Colonel right hander. Lay fought back to retire the next 2, but a single to center followed to cut Centre's lead to 2-1. Oberlin would score the tying run on a 2-out error in the top of the 5th.
As Centre's bats went quiet, Oberlin came with the loudest of the game in the top of the 7th. A no-doubt home run to left center off Lay gave the Yeowomen a 3-2 lead. Centre could not muster a threat in the bottom of the inning as Oberlin took the opener.
Sophia Lay (3-2) was excellent, despite taking the loss. She pitched the complete game, allowing 4 hits, 3 runs (2 earned) while striking out 4 on 104 pitches.
Game 2: Centre 11, Oberlin 6
Ashley Howard took the ball for game 2 of the day. Oberlin got its running game going early and grabbed a run in the top of the 1st. Centre responded in kind, plus one, in the bottom of the inning.
Rylee Sandifer drew a leadoff walk, then stole 2nd and 3rd. She cruised home thanks to a
Brinley Muller triple to tie the game.
Layne Ogle then singled to give the Colonels a 2-1 lead before an out was made. Oberlin bounced back and kept the Colonels from doing further damage in the inning.
Oberlin took momentum right back in the top of the 2nd. A combination of walks and timely hits allowed the Yeowomen to score 5 times in the inning to chase Howard from the game and take a 6-2 lead. Centre's bats weren't finished either. With 1 on and 2 out,
Rylee Sandifer lofted a fly ball to center that was misplayed and booted away.
Kira Mashburn scooted all the way home as Sandifer reached 3rd.
Brinley Muller then singled to center to score Sandifer.
Layne Ogle kept it going with a double to left as the Colonels scored 3 unearned runs to cut the deficit to 6-5 after 2.
Kennedy Caudill came on for Howard in the 2nd and faced her own trouble in the 3rd. Oberlin put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 out, but the hard-throwing righty for Centre blew a fastball by the Oberlin batter for the 3rd out of the inning to keep Centre within a run. After a 1-2-3 top of the 4th, Centre would take the lead for good in the bottom of the inning. With
Jada Challiss on second after an Oberlin error, Sandifer laced a single to center to score Challiss and tie the game at 6. Sandifer reached 3rd on a wild pitch and would score after
Brinley Muller beat out a tapper to the mound. The throw went to 1st for the attempted out but the return throw home was not in time as Sandifer gave the Colonels the lead.
Layne Ogle then brought Muller home on a RBI single to left as the Centre took an 8-6 lead to the 5th.
The Colonels played add-on in the bottom of 5. With 2 on, a Sandifer double scored Mashburn for a 9-6 lead. Muller then singled to left to bring Challiss home for a 10-6 advantage. Oberlin loaded the bases with just 1 out in the top of the 6th, but Caudill fought back. A first pitch grounder back to the pitcher resulted in a force out at the plate for the 2nd out. The next batter hit a weak tapper to 3rd. A step on the bag retired the side to leave the bases loaded and protect the lead.
Centre added another run in the 6th on a wild pitch, while Caudill retired the Oberlin side in order in the 7th to preserve the split. Caudill (2-0) picked up the win after pitching 5.1 innings in relief. She allowed 3 hits and 1 run while striking out 7 on 99 pitches.
The Colonels finish the weekend with a doubleheader on Sunday against Spalding starting at 1:00pm.
