CENTERVILLE — Big plays on defense saved the Centerville baseball team in South Central Conference action Wednesday against Eddyville-Blakesburg.

The Big Reds held off a late E-B charge to take a 4-3 win, and according to Centerville coach Bill Huisman, his team was holding off the Rockets all evening.

“The difference in the game was defense,” Huisman said. “Every inning someone made a big play.”

An nice catch by A.J. Hoffman saved the Big Reds in one inning, a relay throw from Jordan McCoy to shortstop Tyler Gray to third baseman Tyler Burge to gun down a runner ended another inning, and in the fifth, pitcher Michael Kauzlarich picked off two E-B baserunners.

Kauzlarich took the win on the mound, allowing three earned runs on 12 E-B hits while fanning five batters over seven innings. Gray had a pair of RBI for the Big Reds.

Centerville (22-7, 12-3) holds a two-game lead over Albia in the SCC race with five games left to play. The Big Reds are scheduled to travel to Davis County for a doubleheader tonight, and have three games scheduled against Chariton next week.

Centerville 4, Eddyville-Blakesburg 3

E-B 000 000 3 — 3 12 3

Cent 110 020 0 — 4 9 1

Centerville battery — Michael Kauzlarich (W, 2-2) (7IP, 12H, 3R, 3ER, 5K, 2BB), Trent McFarland catching.

2B — Jordan McCoy.

Hits — Patrick Harshman 1-for-3, Kauzlarich 1-for-4, Tyler Gray 2-for-4, Wallace Carter 2-for-3, McCoy 2-for-3, Jay Schmidt 1-for-3.

RBI — Harshman, Gray 2, Carter. Runs — Harshman, Kauzlarich, Gray, Thayler Carter.

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