Baseball Splits Doubleheader With Columbia

Erik Holth, CBC Sports Information Director

            North Little Rock, Ark. – Looking to carry momentum from their four-game sweep earlier this week, Central Baptist College baseball opened a four-game American Midwest Conference series today in a doubleheader with Columbia College. CBC (7-9, 5-1 AMC) took game one 13-12 in exciting fashion before dropping game two to CC (8-2, 3-1 AMC) 9-6.

GAME ONE – CBC 13, COLUMBIA 12 (NINE INNINGS)

            The Cougars got on the board first in the first inning with a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. The Mustangs responded with three in the bottom half on a ground out by Aaron Prince, an error and another error on a separate play to make it 3-1 after one. CBC stretched the lead to 7-1 in the second on a pair of two-run singles by Ryan Dauphinee and George Astacio. Jaxon Kirkhuff's first home run of the season in the third made it 8-1 before CC scored six in the fourth to cut the lead to 8-7. A three-run homer by the Cougars in the fifth gave them a 10-8 lead before Kirkhuff's second home run of the day made it 10-9 and Dauphinee's second home run of the season two batters later tied the game at 10 and the game went into extra innings. In the ninth, Columbia got a pair home runs to take a 12-10 lead to set up drama in the bottom half. Prince would draw a one out walk and be lifted for runner Carter Harris. Astacio would then single and Josh Lumsden would get walked to load the bases. Two pitches later, Columbia's catcher threw the ball into right field on an attempted pickoff and both Astacio and Harris scored to tie the game at 12. Following a strikeout for the second out, Chett McDaniel and Kirkhuff were both hit by pitches to load the bases before a walk to Garrett Fitts ended the game. Eric de Jesus earned the win, getting the final two outs of the ninth.

GAME TWO – COLUMBIA 9, CBC 6

            CBC put two runs across the plate in the first inning on a single by Lumsden that ended up skipping past the center fielder to make it 2-0 in the first. Columbia chopped the lead in half in the second with the first of their six home runs in game two and then took the lead in the third. A pair of wild pitches in the third put CBC back in front 4-3 before Columbia tied the game at four in the fourth. CBC's final runs came in the bottom of the fourth on an error and a double by Dauphinee to give the Mustangs a 6-4 lead. Columbia would push across five runs in the next two innings all via homers to finish the scoring.

UP NEXT

            CBC and Columbia play the final two games of their series at DeSalvo Memorial Stadium tomorrow. First pitch is at 1 p.m.