The Austin College baseball team split its doubleheader with Centenary College on Saturday afternoon, falling 10-1 in game one before earning its second walk-off victory of the week in game two with a 6-5 win. The 'Roos are now 8-18 overall and 6-5 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play.
In game one the Gents took advantage of four errors in the first two innings to jump out to a 4-0 lead despite getting only one hit over that span. The lead grew to 5-0 before Mason Leech singled home a run to cut it to a 5-1 game heading into the fifth. However, Centenary would tack on a run in the fifth and two in both the sixth and seventh innings to push it to a 10-1 final.
Marshall Korn took the loss for Austin College, surrendering eight runs, five earned, on six hits in 5.1 innings of work. Leech went 1-for-3 with an RBI and Colt Herron, Tyler Appelquist, Austin Vaughan, Shane Williams, and Travis Gibson each collected a hit in the loss.
In game two the teams were scoreless through the first three innings until the Gents plated three in the top of the fourth. Austin College answered right back in the bottom half of the inning, with Landon Hendrix singling home two runs to cut it to a 3-2 game. Centenary pushed the lead to 5-2 with a run in both the sixth and the eighth.
In the bottom of the eighth the 'Roos crept back to within one when Herron and Leech each drove in a run to make it 5-4, and in the ninth Austin College loaded the bases and drew consecutive walks to get the dramatic win. Leech drew the first walk to score Vaughan and tie the game, and Josh Coughennower drew the second walk to plate Patrick Renz, who also scored the game winning run in the team's walk-off victory against East Texas Baptist on Tuesday.
Appelquist went 3-for-4 with a double to lead Austin College and Herron, Dylan Day, Williams, and Hendrix each had a hit in the win. Blaine Tew earned the win in relief, giving up just one unearned run on only one hit in 3.1 innings of work with four strikeouts.
Austin College will be looking to earn the series victory when they square off with the Gents again tomorrow for a single game starting at 1:00 p.m.
Austin College athletic teams participate as a member of the NCAA Division III and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
About Austin College
Austin College is a leading national independent liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas. Founded in 1849, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original charter and name, the college is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA). Recognized nationally for academic excellence in the areas of international education, pre-professional training, and leadership studies, Austin College is one of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope's influential book Colleges that Change Lives.