Memphis, TN - Centre entered the weekend looking to build momentum back after a tough series at Southwestern last week. Rhodes had other ideas on Saturday as the Lynx took both games of the doubleheader.
Game 1: Rhodes 6, Centre 1
The first inning of recent games has not been kind to the Colonels. Saturday's opener proved no different. After a 1-2-3 top of the inning, Rhodes struck for offense off Colonel starter,
Kennedy Caudill. A leadoff single, stolen base and ground out put the Lynx leadoff hitter at 3rd with 1 out. Caudill struck out the next batter but the third strike bounced in the dirt. The throw to first allowed the runner at 3rd to sprint home to give Rhodes a 1-0 lead. The next batter took a 1-1 pitch over the outfield wall for a solo homer to double the lead. Centre then committed 3 errors on consecutive plays to allow a 3rd run to score for the lead going to the 2nd.
Centre had a chance to answer back in the top of the 2nd. With 2 out and Caudill on 1st,
Layne Ogle lined a single to center, moving Caudill to 2nd.
Jada Challiss then drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases.
Madison Skibo followed with a fly ball to right that was fielded cleanly to stranded the bases loaded and keep Rhodes in a 3-run lead.
The Lynx added another in the bottom of the 2nd on a 2-out infield single for a 4-0 lead heading to the 3rd. After a quiet couple of innings, Centre finally got on the board in the 5th.
Jada Challiss drew another walk to start. She moved all the way to 3rd after a ground out and sacrifice bunt.
Brinley Muller then slapped a single to Centre to bring Challiss home and cut the Rhodes lead to 4-1.
Cheney Floyd and
Emily Lammers each singled to load the bases again. This time, it was
Katherine Weller at the bat, after coming on to relieve Caudill in the 4th. She was unable to convert as Centre stranded the bags full for the 2nd time in 4 innings.
Rhodes grabbed momentum back in the bottom of the 5th. With 2 outs, the Lynx put 2 more on the board for a 6-1 lead. They loaded the bases to follow, but Weller was able to induce a routine pop-up to limit the damage. In the 7th, Centre had another shot at to close the gap.
Madison Skibo and
Rylee Sandifer led off with singles. With 2 out,
Emily Lammers was hit by a pitch to load the bases for a 3rd time. This time was not the charm either as
Juliana Aragon grounded out to third to end a frustrating game for Centre.
The Colonels outhit the Lynx in the game, 10-8, but 13 runners left on base proved the difference in the loss.
Game 2: Rhodes 10, Centre 8
Ashley Howard got the ball for the second game of the day. Rhodes put 2 on in the top of the 1st, but Howard was able to shake out of it and keep the Lynx off the board. It proved short-lived as Rhodes broke through in the 2nd. Back-to-back 1-out doubles put the first Rhodes run on the board. After a ground out and walk, Rhodes added 2 more with a double to left for a 3-0 lead after 2.
Centre tried to respond in the 3rd.
Kennedy Caudill reached via an error to lead off. Two batters later,
Brinley Muller reached on an infield single to move Caudill up 60 feet. They would stay on the bases as the next two batters were retired to keep the Colonels off the board. Rhodes again made the Colonels pay. With 1 out in the bottom of the 3rd, Rhodes put four straight runners on base with 2 scoring to take a 5-0 lead.
Layne Ogle came on in relief of Howard but also faced trouble. On a 1-2 pitch to the first batter, Ogle gave up a triple to left, scoring 2 more runs for a 7-0 lead. A sac fly followed as Rhodes put a 5-spot up to take an 8-0 lead to the 4th.
Facing a run-rule ending over the next two innings,
Emily Lammers needed just 2 pitches leading off the 4th as she smashed her 4th home run of the season to get Centre on the board. Rhodes got the run back in the bottom of the inning, which forced Centre to have to score in the top of the 5th to keep the game going. The Colonels were able to oblige. Caudill and Skibo reached to start the inning.
Brinley Muller singled to center to bring Caudill home and cut the Rhodes lead to 9-2.
Rylee Sandifer then reached on an infield error. Skibo scored on the play for Centre's 2nd run.
Layne Ogle then followed with a sac fly to bring Muller home. Another sac fly, this one from Lammers, brought the 4th run of the inning home as Centre cut the lead in half at 9-5. Rhodes pulled 1 back in the bottom of the inning to keep the pressure on.
The 6th inning saw both teams go down in order for the first time. Centre then needed 5 in the top of the 7th to keep hope alive, and they certainly went after it.
Madison Skibo reached via an error to start the inning. Muller singled again to center to move Skibo to 2nd. Sandifer followed with a single that scored Skibo and moved Muller to third. Sandifer advanced to 2nd on the play. Another Rhodes error allowed Muller to score as Centre cut the Rhodes lead to 10-7 with no outs. With runners at the corners, Centre pulled off a double steal as Sandifer took home to make it a 10-8 game. Disaster then struck for the Colonels. With pinch-runner
Baylee Estes on 2nd,
Emily Lammers laced a sharp ball to left that was snagged by the fielder. Estes got aggressive on the base path but was thrown out at third for a double play. With the run erased,
Cheney Floyd flied out to bring an abrupt end to Centre's nearly full comeback.
Centre will look to grab the series finale on Sunday with first pitch slated for 1:00pm.
