DANVILLE, Ky. – The Millsaps baseball team's season came to an end on Saturday in the Opening Weekend Series of the SAA Baseball Championship to No. 1 seed Centre. The Majors fell, 4-3 with a walk-off home run at Gary Wright Baseball Field.
Junior Nick Tarantino was terrific on the mound, tossing eight innings and holding the Colonels to three runs in the ninth. He struck out three batters, walked four and yielded 10 hits spread throughout the game.
Classmate Bradley Pelle (3-for-4) nearly hit for the cycle with a single, double and triple, while adding a walk. Senior David Abbadessa batted 2-for-4 with an RBI and walk.
Seniors Jackson Ware (double, RBI) and Case Page (two doubles, RBI) both finished 2-for-5. Junior Gray Berry walked twice and was hit by two pitches, while graduate Branyan Bounds tallied a hit, walk and two RBIs.
Pelle tripled with two outs in the third frame, but Centre (31-11) escaped with a fly out to left field. The Colonels then forced a walk and a wild pitch with one out in their half of the third, but Tarantino ended that threat with a strikeout and ground out.
Millsaps (14-27) continued to put pressure on Centre with extra-base hits when Page doubled to open the fourth. A single by sophomore EJ Ousley pushed Page over to third with two outs. The Majors then claimed their first lead when Abbadessa singled up the middle to plate Page.
Centre threatened once again in the fourth with two runners in scoring position and one out. Tarantino got out of the jam with a fly out and ground out.
Pelle began the top of the fifth by crushing the ball off the left-field wall for a double. However, he was picked off at second moments later.
The Colonels followed by putting runners on the corners with two outs in the fifth, but a 6-4 ground out ended the inning.
Sophomore Mason Morgan began the sixth with a walk and Ware followed with a single. Both advanced to scoring position courtesy of an Ousley sacrifice bunt. Millsaps extended their lead to 3-0 when Bounds slashed the ball up the middle to score Morgan and Ware. The Majors proceeded to load the bases, but the Colonel third baseman caught a hot-shot line drive for the third out.
The hosts again put runners on the corners with two outs in the sixth, but a line out to Ousley at shortstop kept Centre off the scoreboard.
Page continued his strong afternoon with another leadoff double in the seventh, but the Colonels kept the score still at 3-0 with their defense.
Another chance by the Colonels came following the seventh inning stretch when the No. 1 seed answered with an opening double. The runner was thrown out second on an ensuing fielder's choice and Tarantino extinguished the opportunity with a 6-4-3 ground-ball double play.
Millsaps loaded the bases to commence the eighth inning with two walks and a Pelle single, but a double play and pop up kept the margin at three runs once more.
A leadoff, eighth-inning hit by Centre was derailed by Tarantino with a strikeout, pop up and fly out as the teams marched into the ninth.
Morgan singled and Ousley walked in the Majors' half of the final inning but the Colonel defense stood tall. Tarantino continued into the final inning on the mound, giving it his all.
However, Centre finally broke through with back-to-back singles and a double, which cut the deficit to 3-1. Tarantino was relieved with two runners on a no outs, exiting with 127 pitches thrown.
The Colonels swung the tides two pitches later and mustered a 3-run home run to take a 4-3 lead and secure a walk-off win.
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