ROME, Ga. – Baylor Woodall collected two hits with one RBI and a run scored, Aaron Lopez drove in two runs and Zach Heavern tossed five innings of relief for the win, as Centre scored four runs in the final three innings in a 5-3 victory against Oglethorpe in the SAA Baseball Championships here Thursday at Advent Health Stadium.
Centre (28-13) advances to play Trinity University at 5:20 p.m. ET on Thursday while Oglethorpe drops into the loser’s bracket to face Sewanee on Friday at 10 a.m. ET.
Cade Eidam collected two hits and drove in all three runs for the Stormy Petrels (21-20), including a two-run triple in the fourth inning and a run-scoring double in the sixth.
The Colonels trailed 3-1 before scoring twice in the sixth on a groundout by Lopez and a bloop double from Woodall. Jamison Craig started the seventh with a double and came across on Chase Austin’s safety squeeze and in the eighth, Woodall led off with a triple and scored on Graham Johnson’s sacrifice fly for an insurance run.
After giving up a run in the sixth on Eidam’s RBI double, Heavern (5-2) retired nine of the final 10 batters of the game and allowed one run on three hits with no walks and one strikeout in five innings. Centre starter Harrison Cowdrey gave up two unearned runs on five hits in four innings.
Oglethorpe’s Tyler Hower (3-3) suffered the tough-luck loss, allowing four runs on five hits in six-plus innings. He walked two and struck out two, keeping the Colonels at bay for five-plus frames.
Ben Chatham recorded two hits for the Stormy Petrels, who collected eight hits in the game. Austin scored twice for the Colonels, who also posted eight hits in the contest.
The Stormy Petrels threatened in the second inning after a leadoff walk to Jace Armstrong and one-out singles from Chatham and Nick Morgan, but Eidam grounded to the pitcher and Trey Kinnan lined out to second to end the frame.
Oglethorpe broke through in the fourth when Armstrong reached on an error to start the inning and Morgan walked with two outs. Eidam then laced a triple into the rightfield corner, scoring both runners for a 2-0 edge for the Stormy Petrels.
Austin reached on an error, a hard-hit ball off the shortstop’s glove, and he moved to second on a groundout by Evan Weyler in the bottom of the inning for Centre. Lopez then singled to left, driving home a run, and after a walk, Brick Conway made a tremendous diving catch in leftcenter on a drive off the bat of Woodall to end the inning with Oglethorpe still in front, 2-1.
In the sixth Chatham singled down the leftfield line, off the third base bag, and he went to second on a groundout by Morgan. Eidam then sliced a double down the leftfield line, plating a run and extending the lead for Oglethorpe, 3-1.
Austin singled and Weyler walked to start the Centre sixth and both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Lopez’s hard grounder to short scored a run and with two outs, Woodall dumped a double into short right, plating a run and evening the game at three.
Craig doubled over the leftfielder’s head to leadoff the seventh for the Colonels and Ben Prather reached on a bunt single. With one out Austin’s safety squeeze scored the run and he reached on an errant throw to first before a walk to Lopez. Forrest Day flied out to end the inning but not before Centre held a 4-3 edge.
Woodall tripled to deep rightcenter to start the eighth inning and Graham Johnson’s sacrifice fly to rightcenter pushed across an insurance run for the Colonels.