Centralia averaged 15.2 runs per game over a five-game winning streak.

The Panthers improved their season average to 11.1 runs per game after a 12-2 six-inning win over Eldon on Saturday at home. They collected 12 hits and had nine runs after two innings.

Head coach Mike Rodgers said the offense has been amazing, but Centralia (9-1) has looked so good recently because it is doing the little things well. 

Centralia vs Eldon Photo Gallery

“It’s the pitching and the defense like Chase Chancellor makes a diving play in the first inning to get the momentum on our side,” Rodgers said. “It takes the pressure off our hitters so they can relax. Our baserunning was perfect today. We’re focusing on the little things, and they’re taking pride in doing the little things.”

Rodgers said there were definitely some big performances against Eldon (8-4). Grant Kendrick no-hit the Mustangs through four innings while striking out four and walking one.

Kendrick was taken out of the game, according to Rodgers, because of a pitch count. Rodgers said Kendrick needs to be available for a lot of upcoming games but was impressed by what he showed against Eldon, who received votes in the first Class 4 state rankings and went into Saturday with eight wins like Centralia. Eldon has speed at the top of the lineup, and Kendrick attacked them.

“Grant has a nice repertoire of pitches he is confident in,” Rodgers said. “He’s not only able to control them but can command them. If he wants to go low and inside on you, he can go low and inside. It’s fun to have a pitcher, especially a sophomore pitcher, who has command of his pitches.”

Cooper Gehring had a good day on offense by going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Gehring is also the catcher who worked with Kendrick and has worked with the rest of the Centralia pitchers for two years. 

“Grant was hitting his spots,” Gehring said. “That’s just what he does. Our control this year, and our depth is good. Our pitching staff from top to bottom is just loaded this year.”

Gehring said it has taken a couple of weeks to familiarize himself with each pitcher’s strengths but feels like the staff is rolling right now. 

The offense rolled against Eldon as well with Oliver Bohlmeyer finishing 2-for-4 with two doubles and one RBI, Luke Waltemate was 2-for-3 with one RBI and one double, and Hank Lee was 2-for-3 with one RBI. Gehring has been hot at the plate as he was 11-for-14 with eight RBIs in the four games prior to Eldon, including a four-RBI performance against Westran that was only outshined that day by five RBIs from Cole Higginson.

“I started to really feel my swing better,” Gehring said. “I just fed off everybody else. Everybody else was doing really well hitting, so we just fed off each other.”

Rodgers said Gehring doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves as he is “the anchor” of the team. He’s only a sophomore but has a ton of experience behind the plate because of the 206 innings he was able to log as a freshman.

“Our expectations for him are so high, and his job is so hard,” Rodgers said. “With all these pitchers and the different offspeeds they bring, we can call anything and throw anything anytime because he’s an extremely skilled defensive catcher.”

Centralia had one loss going into Saturday in its Clarence Cannon Conference opener against Clark County. On that day at home, Rodger said the offense dealt with similar weather conditions — with temperatures in the 50s and wind blowing in — but approached them better. 

“If you ask us what’s our best attribute on this team, it’s our hitting,” Rodgers said. “Our lineup is dangerous. We really focused on hitting the top part of the ball and trying to put the ball on the ground or hit the ball on line drives — not try to carry it. They’re a very talented group of kids with high baseball IQ.”