Danville, KY - Centre Softball had long been dominated by Berry, as has most of the SAA. The Colonels flipped the script on the 4-time defending champs with a stunning doubleheader sweep on Saturday, marking the first wins over the 14th-ranked Vikings since 2019, and the first home wins since Berry moved to Division III in 2011.
Game 1: Centre 8, Berry 7
Kennedy Caudill got the ball for game 1 in what would turn out to be a long day in the circle for the hard-throwing right hander. She worked around a leadoff walk to get through the 1st. Caudill was gifted a lead in the bottom of the inning. WIth 1 out,
Brinley Muller slapped a single to center. After a
Layne Ogle walk,
Emily Lammers smashed a double the base of the wall in left to score Muller for a 1-0 Colonels lead after 1.
In the top of the 2nd, Caudill walked the leadoff batter but was backed up by a strong throw by
Juliana Aragon to nab an attempted steal of 2nd. More trouble loomed though as Caudill walked 2 more and hit a batter to load the bases with 2 out. However, Caudill was able to retire the next batter on strikes to strand the bases loaded.
After Berry tied the game at 1 in the top of the 3rd, Centre's bats went back to work in the bottom of the inning. Another single from
Brinley Muller started a rally. Two batters later, with 2 out,
Emily Lammers was hit by a pitch, sending Muller to 2nd.
Rylee Sandifer then took an 0-1 pitch down the line in right to bring Muller home for a 2-1 lead with Lammers going to 3rd. She would scamper home on a wild pitch for a 3-1 Colonels lead going to the 4th. Berry got a run back in the top of the 4th but would again leave the bases loaded as Caudill worked around 2 more walks. Centre left 2 on in the bottom of the 4th as both teams missed on key opportunities in the tight game.
The top of the 5th proved dramatic again. Berry's first two batters reached on singles to left. With 1 out, a slow tapper was hit towards 3rd, but
Morgan Tabor could not reach the base in time for the force out, which loaded the bases again for the Vikings. Tabor bounced back in the next at-bat as she fielded a grounder and came home for the force out to keep Berry off the board. Caudill then induced a weak grounder as Berry left the bases loaded for the 3rd time in 5 innings. Centre took advantage in the bottom of the inning to play add-on.
Emily Lammers started it with a triple down the right field line. She came home 4 pitches later on a
Rylee Sandifer single to left for a 4-2 lead.
Morgan Tabor then laced a double to the gap in right for a 5-2 lead after 5.
Berry finally broke through in the top of the 6th. A walk and single started the rally. After a strikeout, a single to center brought a run home and cut Centre's lead to 5-3. Another walk loaded the bases again. This time, the Vikings would not leave them loaded. A double to right center scored 2 runs to tie the game at 5. Berry went for the lead but a perfect relay led to the last runner being thrown out at the plate to deny the Vikings the lead. After a quiet Centre 6th, Berry would take the lead in the top of the 7th. A walk and single started the rally again. After a fielder's choice moved the runners to 2nd & 3rd, a sacrifice fly brought home the go-ahead run for the Vikings. They would tack on another via a wild pitch to take a 7-5 lead to the bottom of 7.
Centre would not be denied on this day.
Layne Ogle started the bottom of 7 with a sharp double down the line in left. Two ground outs would score pinch runner,
Sarah Bradley, to bring the Colonels within 1 but with 2 outs.
Morgan Tabor drew a 4-pitch walk and was lifted for
Madison Skibo.
Kennedy Caudill then stepped up to bat and delivered the biggest hit of her season with a triple to the right field corner. Skibo motored around and scored without a throw to tie the game at 7. The triple brought
Jada Challiss to the plate. The lefty wasted no time as she took a first pitch fastball down the line in left to score Caudill and give Centre the stunning 8-7, walkoff win.
Kennedy Caudill put in a herculean effort to get her 7th win of the season. She went the distance, allowing 10 hits and issuing 11 walks on a staggering 183 pitches, but left 14 Berry baserunners stranded to get the win.
Game 2: Centre 5, Berry 4
Ashley Howard got the ball for game 2 and faced a motivated Berry lineup who took an immediate lead. Three hits in the first inning gave Berry a 1-0 lead, but Howard was able to leave 2 runners stranded, keeping with the theme of game 1. Full of confidence, Centre's bats had Howard's back.
Baylee Estes drew a lead-off walk and stole second in the bottom of the 1st. After a grounder moved her to 3rd,
Emily Lammers smacked a double to right to score Estes and tie the game. Two batters later,
Morgan Tabor singled to left, scoring Lammers and giving Centre a 2-1 lead after 1.
Howard worked around two 2nd inning walks to keep the Vikings off the board. Centre also stranded two in the bottom of the inning. In the top of the 3rd, Berry was able to capitalize. A double and single started the inning. A run then scored on a wild pitch with a sacrifice fly right behind as the Vikings quickly grabbed a 3-2 lead. A single and walk kept the pressure on, but Howard fought back and got a fly ball to center for the third out as Berry stranded two runners on for the third straight inning.
Centre's offense went back to work in the bottom of the 3rd.
Rylee Sandifer started with a 1-out double and would score the tying run on a Tabor single to left center. An error and walk loaded the bases for
Cheney Floyd, who slipped a single into left field, pushing Tabor and
Kennedy Caudill home to give the Colonels a 5-3 lead after 3.
After a quiet 4th, Berry got a run back in the top of the 5th. Two walks and a sacrifice fly brought the Vikings within 1. With 1 out and runners at 2nd & 3rd, Howard buckled down and struck out the next 2 batters to keep the Colonels in the lead and leave 2 more Viking runners stranded. Centre had a chance in the bottom of the 6th to break the game open. A single and 2 walks loaded the bases, but a popup in the infield erased the threat as the game moved to the top of the 7th with Centre clinging to the 5-4 lead.
Ashley Howard went back out, looking to close out the win. She was greeted with a 10-pitch at-bat leading to a Berry single to start. Howard then induced a popup to short for the first out. A single to left followed to put the tying run in scoring position at 2nd with 1 out. The next batter popped a routine fly to center for the second out. Howard dug deep and on her 149th pitch of the game, she blew a fastball right by a Berry pinch-hitter to secure the win and the doubleheader sweep. Howard picked up her 4th win of the year with the complete game, in which she left 11 Viking runners stranded.
Centre goes for the improbable sweep of Berry in the series finale on Sunday starting at Noon.
