By: Ryleigh Mulvihill

On Saturday, September 30th, the Centennial men's baseball team plays a pivotal doubleheader as they continue to try and secure a spot in the 2023 OCAA men's baseball playoffs.

The Centennial Colts (6-7) play the league-leading Durham Lords (10-2). This will be a difficult task for the Colts, but after a sweep of the doubleheader against Sheridan on Wednesday, they have their confidence back.

Centennial will be sending their best pitchers out to face a powerful Durham lineup. Durham has an impressive .414 team batting average and .487 on-base percentage. Even though the entire lineup one through nine is solid, the Colts will be focused on Cole Cote. The outfielder and catcher for the Lords has the second-highest batting average in the league at .628. He has batted in 28 runs, which is the best in the OCAA.

The Colts' pitching staff is deep, and anyone has the ability to pitch well. This will be their toughest task yet against the best lineup in the OCAA.

For Centennial, Riley Briggs continues to be a force at the plate. His .419 average is the best on the team. Briggs has the ability to hit for extra bases, which he displayed Wednesday night against the Bruins.

Centennial is currently in the fifth playoff spot, with the top six teams making it to the playoffs.

The first pitch for game one is at 1 pm at Neilson Park.