JACKSON, Miss. (Mar. 24, 2017) – A pair of solid starting pitching performances led Centre College to a doubleheader sweep over Millsaps College in Southern Athletic Association baseball action today. The Colonels had to hold off final inning rallies by the Majors in both contests, taking game one 8-6 before coming back to take game two 3-2.  Sophomore Brennan Ducote (Lafayette, La.) had four hits in the two games for Millsaps, including a three-run home run in the opener.
 
Game 1
In the first game Millsaps (10-14, 1-6 SAA) picked up the first run of the contest when Ducote led off with a single, moving to third on an errant pick off throw and a ground out. He then scored on a sacrifice bunt by senior Logan Patterson (Hopkinsville, Ky.).
 
That was all the Centre (13-7, 4-4 SAA) starter Trevor Brewer would allow over his six innings of work as he scatted seven hits and struck out a pair to improve to 3-1. The Colonels answered Millsaps' run with three of their own in the third, scoring all three after two were out. With a runner on second Will Kirk doubled to center to tie the contest before coming in to score on a base hit to left by Drew Schacht. Another run-scoring double, this one by Alex Richardson, completed the uprising.
 
After going up 4-1 with a run in the fourth, Centre pushed another three across in the seventh, scoring on a wild pitch, a sacrifice bunt and an RBI single. The Colonels then made it 8-1 going into the ninth with a run in the eighth on an RBI double by Cameron Duggins.
 
Millsaps made a comeback attempt in the ninth, getting two aboard with one down for freshman Jon Dale Dieckman (Madison, Miss.), whose pinch-hit single brought in the first run of the inning. Centre looked to have the game won on a strike out, but the pitch got away for a wild pitch, scoring another run and keeping the inning alive. Ducote then followed with his shot over the wall in left to make it 8-6. That brought Jordan Short out of the Colonels' bullpen and he wrapped it up with a groundout to pick up the save.
 
Game 2
Game two started with both teams scoring a run in the first inning. Centre picked up a two-out RBI single from Greyson Evans to take the early lead, but Millsaps came right back in its half of the inning, with senior Lee Ogletree (Raymond, Miss.) doubling in junior Andy Page (Warrenton, Va.), who had led off the inning with a single.
 
From there it was a duel between the two starters. After giving up his run, junior Jacob Mardick (The Woodlands, Texas) gave up just one hit over the next four innings, while Schacht gave up just two over the next three frames. Millsaps threatened in the fifth, getting runners to second and third with one down after a pair of singles opened the inning. But Schacht got out of the jam, getting the lead runner thrown out at home on a fielder's choice and the final out on a liner to right.
 
Centre struck for what proved to be the game winners in the sixth when it loaded the bases on a hit batter, a single and an intentional walk with one down. Seth Hagen came up with a two-run single to left to make it 3-1, but Mardick escaped further damage when senior catcher Joseph Stearns (Cypress, Texas) picked off a runner at third before Mardick ended the inning on a groundout.
 
Millsaps again threatened in its final at-bat. Dieckman drew a one-out walk that brought Short in to close out the game. He walked the next hitter, but retired the next hitter on a fly to right that advanced junior Patrick Grumbley (Foley, Ala.) to third. Ducote then came through with an RBI single to left, making it a one-run game. Ogletree followed with a base hit to put the tying run in scoring position, but Short picked up his second save of the day by getting the final out on a foul pop-up to third.
 
Game three of the series is scheduled to be played on Sunday, starting at Noon.