Senior pitcher Joe Nash (Elizabethtown, Ky.) hurled seven innings and allowed only a first-inning run as the Centre College baseball team earned a 5-2 victory over visiting Wabash Friday, March 8 at Gary Wright Field in Danville, Ky.
After striking out the first batter of the game, Nash allowed a single to Robby Hechin. Hechin then stole second and after another strikeout, scored on a double by Andrew Rodge for an early 1-0 lead.
The Colonels answered in the bottom of the inning. Junior outfielder Kyle Cook (Maineville, Ohio) delivered a two-out run-scoring single to right field to score sophomore Trey Litsey (Louisville, Ky.) to tie the game at 1-1.
Centre took the lead in the bottom of the third. Freshman Jake Johnson (Louisville, Ky.) singled and stole second. An errant pick-off attempt allowed him to move to third and a ground out to second base by Litsey scored the freshman to make it 2-1.
Johnson made it 3-1 in the third with a long sacrifice fly that scored freshman Forrest Goodwin (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) from third.
The scored remained 3-1 until the bottom of the eighth when the Colonels added a pair of insurance runs. Sophomore Phil Brilli (Powell, Ohio) singled to open the inning. A sacrifice bunt by junior catcher Chris Duzyk (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) moved him to second. Freshman Zach Montgomery(Louisville, Ky.) pinch hit and singled to put runners at first and third. Junior outfielder Sean Cole(Teaneck, N.J.) laid down a safety squeeze to score Brilli. The ball was dropped at first and Montgomery kept running scoring from second for the fifth run of the game.
Freshman pitcher Stephen Shunk (Lexington, Ky.) tossed a scoreless eighth in relief of Nash and Litsey allowed only an unearned run in the ninth, while striking out the side, to close out the win.
Nash improved to 2-2 on the year with his second straight win. He allowed only one run on five hits, walked four and struck out seven.
Goodwin, making his first collegiate start, Brilli and Cole all finished with two hits each in an 11-hit effort by the Colonels.
Centre, now 5-4 overall, will be back in action with a doubleheader Saturday, March 9 against Hanover College. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Gary Wright Field.