JACKSON, Miss. — The Millsaps College baseball team fell to No.14 Centre College, 9-4 in the opening game of their conference weekend series on Friday night at Twenty Field.
Junior Wesley Grant scored two runs and recorded two hits, including a double, while also stealing a base.
Sophomore Carston Williams contributed two hits and drove in two runs, leading the Majors in RBIs.
Senior Layne Cross finished with three hits, achieving a solid leadoff performance. Senior EJ Ousley drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and contributed defensively with three assists.
Sophomore John Montour pitched 6.0 innings, recording one strikeout and one walk while throwing 80 pitches, 53 of them for strikes.
The Colonels opened the first inning on the evening with a leadoff home run to left field, taking an early 1–0 lead over the Majors.
In the bottom of the inning, Grant made a one-handed catch in center field off his glove to keep the Colonels from scoring as Millsaps allowed zero hits and no runs.
In the bottom of the second, freshman Hudson Moberly reached base on a fielder's choice, moving senior Mason Morgan to third, but the Colonels ended the inning on a groundout.
A home run in the top of the third stretched Centre's lead to 2–0.
In the bottom of the inning, Grant fielded a single to center field, and Cross followed with a hit to shortstop, giving the Majors some room to work with.
Williams ripped a single down the right line to bring Cross home for the Majors, and soon after, Morgan's sacrifice fly scored Grant to tie the game at 2–2.
In the top of the fifth inning, Millsaps left three Colonels on base while allowing only two hits in the tied contest.
The Colonels regained the lead at 4–2 with two unearned runs in the top of the sixth, and a double in the seventh scored a runner, extending their advantage to three.
A slick 1-5-4 pickoff by the Majors in the top of the seventh inning boosted the confidence they needed.
In the bottom of the inning, the Colonels' first error of the game sent Cross to second after Grant reached first on a fielder's choice.
Moments later, Cross had a chance to score for Millsaps but was thrown out at home despite a strong effort from the Brandon, Miss., native.
The Colonels' second error came in the bottom of the eighth, allowing sophomore Wes Carr to reach first base.
Centre then hit two home runs in the ninth to take a commanding 8–2 lead but scored again later in the inning on a throwing error to expend their margin by seven.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Cross singled through the left side, and Grant doubled to right center.
Stepping up to the plate, Ousley delivered a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Wall from third and giving the Majors some hope while trailing 9–3
Shortly after, Williams grounded out to third, sending Grant home for the Majors' final RBI in a 9-4 loss to Centre on Friday.
The Majors will continue conference action at home against Centre College in a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 11 am. Live video and live stats at gomajors.com.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps College baseball program follow the Majors on X and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook or visit gomajors.com.
Founded in Jackson, Mississippi in 1890, Millsaps College is a national liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region. Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps has been praised by Colleges That Change Lives, The Princeton Review, Forbes Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The John Templeton Foundation, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.
