Three Centre pitchers combined to limit Defiance College to one run on six hits over two games as the Colonels swept a doubleheader from the Yellow Jackets Sunday, March 4 at Gary Wright Field in Danville, Ky.
Centre capped an undefeated week (4-0) with a pair of wins (1-0 and 7-1) led by a pitching staff, which allowed only five runs in 32.0 innings with 37 strikeouts.
Game one saw senior pitcher Ben Lause (Mason, Ohio) earn his first win of the season by tossing six scoreless innings and allowing only two hits with one walk and six strikeouts.
The Colonels scored the only run of the game in the first. Defiance pitcher Stephen Leskow retired the first two hitters of the inning, but allowed a single to sophomore outfielder Cody Nelson (Joelton, Tenn.). Nelson stole second and junior outfielder Jason Osterman (Monroe, Ohio) followed with a walk. Sophomore third baseman Charlie Holland (Knoxville, Tenn.) then singled to score Nelson for the 1-0 lead.
Defiance threatened in the sixth by loading the bases with one out, but Lause induced a ground ball, which the Colonels turned into a double play to escape the inning.
Senior pitcher Brian Bascom (Cincinnati, Ohio) relieved Lause in the seventh and allowed a single to start the inning, but got a ground ball for a fielder's choice and then a line drive that was caught and turned into a game-ending double play.
Holland also had another hit in the game to finish two for three to lead the Centre offense.
Sophomore Kyle Neu (Cincinnati, Ohio) followed up Lause's performance with a strong outing of his own. Neu retired the first seven hitters he faced, including striking out the first four of the game.
With runners on first and second and two outs in the second inning, junior shortstop Aaron Ammann (Winnetka, Calif.) doubled to right center to give Centre a 2-0 lead.
Junior Danny Freudiger (Cincinnati, Ohio) and sophomore outfielder Sean Cole (Teaneck, N.J.) then delivered run-scoring singles to extend the lead to 4-0.
Senior catcher Cameron Fishman (Northridge, Calif.) had a two-out rbi single in the fourth, and Holland and sophomore outfielder Kyle Cook (Maineville, Ohio) had run-scoring singles in the sixth to cap the Centre scoring.
Neu had a shutout of his own into the seventh inning, but lead-off double came around to score for the final 7-1 tally.
The sophomore hurler finished with the complete game win, the first of his collegiate career. Neu allowed only four hits with one walk and struck out eight.
Holland and Cole finished with three hits each, while Cook and Freudiger had two hits apiece in the victory.
Next up for the Colonels is a road contest against the College of Mount St. Joseph Wednesday, March 7 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The game will be played at Marge Schott Stadium. and is set to start at 7 p.m.