SLU Left Fielder Unnerving Collision Leads to Extended Delay in Tulane 8-4 Victory

If you ever needed proof that there are more important things in life than baseball, Tuesday night was a testament to it.

Tulane defeated Southeastern Louisiana, 8-4, but what happened in the bottom half of the first inning changed the angle of whether or not this game was important to a shocked and shaking 17-hundred stunned fans.

Scary Collision Leads to an Even Scarier Result

After a three-up, three-down top of the 1st for Southeastern, Tulane lead off hitter Tye Wood swung on a 1-1 pitch, lifting a blooper to left field. SLU short stop Connor Cuff was sprinting back for the ball, looking over his left shoulder. Left fielder Rhett Centanni was charging hard forward. Whether it was mixed communication or not is immaterial, as Centanni, a graduate of Rummel High School in Metairie ran head first into the shin of Cuff and collapsed to the shallow portion of the left field turf in a heap. He didn't move for what seemed like a lifetime as a hush fell over the Turchin Stadium crowd.

Tulane coach Jay Uhlman was the first to arrive on the scene, racing from the closer 3rd base dugout, followed closely by Tulane team doctor Victoria Elia. As they attempted to evaluate the scene, Southeastern Louisiana trainers and coaches arrived. For almost 15-minutes, Centanni lay motionless on the field while doctors and paramedics worked to figure out the extent of his injuries.

"When I got there (to where Centanni lay), he was not coherent," an emotional Uhlman told us after the game. "(He had) some labored breathing. As he was out there, the longer we had (with) him, we were talking, we were encouraging, asking him questions, His mom was out there, bless her heart. (As time wore on) He was a little more coherent. He started asking about (teammate shortstop Conner) Cuff, was he okay. That was a good sign for me.

"That kid's (Centanni) is tough as hell," Uhlman admired. "He kept fighting to regain conciousness. That kid's a warrior."

Centanni was taken to East Jefferson Hospital for treatment.

Things Looking Up

"I've gotten some good reports from our side," Uhlman continued. "Hopefully we can continue to get real positive information. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family."

After the SLU left fielder was put on a stretcher and rolled to an awaiting ambulance, and an almost 20-minute stoppage of action, plus the seriousness of the situation, we wondered if there was any talk about cancelling the game.

"There was never any talk about that," Uhlman said. "Like I told our players, 'I think that kid (Centanni) would want us to keep playing. That's the thing (about baseball): the game is the game, but regardless of uniform, it's a shared brotherhood. We share baseball, its failures, the journey. We share a lot of friends, a lot of common acquaintances. If that was me (Centanni), I would want the game to continue to go on."

For the game, Tulane 1st baseman Trent Liolios continued his hot streak with two singles in five plate appearances and two runs scored. Wave third bagger James Agabedis III was 1-for-3 with a single, but made some highlight reel catches at the hot corner, including a leaping-to-his-left grab of a line shot that looked destined for a double down the left field line.

Now 20-18 on the season, the Green Wave head on the road this weekend for an American Conference matchup with Florida Atlantic.

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