Baseball Recap: Centennial Takes a Loss

Centennial had lost 14 straight on the road dating back to last season, but on Saturday they dropped their record down to 0-10 to make it 15. They came up short against the Central City/Centura Kernels, falling 9-2. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Broncos of the 10-0 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in April of 2024.

As for Central City/Centura, the win keeps they at an undefeated 15-0. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they've averaged 9.2 runs this season.

For Central City/Centura's part, Hayden Murphy and Parker Zikmund made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Murphy pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Zikmund tossed 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Murphy has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. At the plate, Murphy got on base in two of his four plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI, while Zikmund went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. That's the most hits Zikmund has posted over his last nine games.

In other pitching news, Luke Vakiner looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in five consecutive appearances.

Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Conner Erickson, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one home run, two stolen bases, and four RBI. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Colter Lueders, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, one double, and one RBI.

We've got plenty of inter-district action coming up soon. Centennial will take on rival Maxwell at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Central City/Centura is set to square off against their familiar foe Malcolm at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (the Kernels 2.1, the Clippers 2.3) so any runs scored will be well earned.