ROME, Ga. – Ben Prather, Ayden Lohr, Aaron Lopez and Baylor Woodall each collected three hits, helping Centre scored six runs in the top of the first in an 11-3 victory over Rhodes in the title game of the SAA Baseball Championships here Saturday at Advent Health Stadium.
Centre won its second conference tournament title in three years and its second SAA Tournament championship overall with the victory, winning four games in three days.
The Colonels scored six runs in the first inning to take control of the game, including two-run singles from Graham Johnson and Prather. Lopez and Forrest Day added run-scoring hits, a near repeat of Friday’s contest between the same two teams when Centre plated eight runs in the top of the first.
Centre pounded out 18 hits against five Rhodes hurlers in the contest, with Evan Weyler and Day adding two hits apiece. Prather, Lopez and Johnson all drove in two runs while Prather and Day each scored three times.
Centre starter Harrison Cowdrey worked four innings, giving up two runs on four hits with four strikeouts, and Zach Heavern (6-2) tossed three shutout innings for the win, allowing two hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Aidan Carr got the final six outs for the Colonels.
Nathan Shumway (2-3) allowed six runs on seven hits in two-thirds of an inning for the Lynx.
Prather and Lohr both singled to start the game and Lopez singled to leftcenter with one out, scoring a run. Weyler walked and with two outs, Johnson singled to rightcenter, driving home two runs.
Day followed with an RBI single, a ground ball through the right side, and after a single to left by Jamison Craig, Prather lifted a single into leftcenter, plating two runs and ending the day for May.
Rhodes broke through in the third when Cooper Kuriger reached on an infield single to leadoff and with two outs, Corbin Martens doubled to leftcenter. Ben Daniel followed with a two-run double to almost the exact same spot, cutting the deficit to 6-2.
The Colonels answered immediately, though, with Prather singling to center to leadoff the fourth and with two outs, Lopez reached on an infield single. Weyler and Woodall followed with RBI singles, pushing the Centre advantage to 8-2.
In the fifth Day and Prather walked and Lohr singled to right, loading the bases, and Lopez drove in a run with a single to left, extending the lead to 9-2.
All-Tournament Team
Aaron Lopez, Centre (MVP)
Ayden Lohr, Centre
Tommy Severson, Centre
Zach Heavern, Centre
David Albert, Rhodes
Jackson Stanyard, Rhodes
Corbin Martens, Rhodes
Khalfani Coney, Trinity
Jace Armstrong, Oglethorpe