IRVING, Texas - The #20 Diamond Gents scored four in the first inning and seven in the second and never looked back as Centenary (10-7, 2-0 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference) blasted Dallas (7-11, 0-2 SCAC) 15-1 in seven innings in the first game of a double header Saturday afternoon, March 17.
The second game was suspended due to weather in the bottom of the seventh inning. Dallas has two on with two outs and a full count to batter Seth Hanson with senior Cole Lavergne on the mound.
In game one, the Gents started off quick to open a double-digit lead after two innings. In the first after a leadoff walk, senior Chris Zapata left the yard on a full count. After a walk and singles by senior Ian Graham and junior Cameron Guin, Lavergne added a sacrifice fly to left. Freshman Chris Haggard followed with an RBI single.
In the second, a leadoff walk, a single, and a balk put a pair in scoring position with no outs. Zapata followed with an RBI single, but was thrown out at second while freshman Peyton Cormane scored from third. Sophomore Cody Crowder and Graham singled before Guin drove in two more with a triple. A pair of walks loaded the bases and two more runs scored on senior Nicholas Delaneuville's infield single.
Centenary capped the inning when a single and a walk reloaded the bases and Zapata drew an RBI walk.
Meanwhile, junior Matthew Devillier (2-2) pitched out of jams in the first and sixth innings. In the first with a pair in scoring position and one out, Deviller recorded a strikeout and induced a groundout to get out of the inning unscathed. In the sixth with a pair in scoring position with one out, Deviller again got the strikeout and groundout to end the frame.
Deviller went six innings and allowed five hits and a run with five strikeouts. The lone run came on a Zachary Taylor solo shot in the fourth.
Centenary scored two in both the fourth and sixth for the final 14-run margin. With one on and two outs in the fourth, Cormane tripled and later scored on Crowder's hit. In the sixth, Cormane doubled and scored on Crowder's double. After a groundout moved Crowder to third, he scored the final run of the game on a wild pitch.
Freshman Andy Purpura retired the side in order in the seventh to end the game, including a pair of strikeouts.
Jamie Wallace (1-1) took the loss for Dallas, allowing nine hits and nine runs in 1.1 innings of work.
In game two tied at one after the first inning, the Gents scored a pair in the second to take the lead. A hit batter and an error put a pair on with no outs. Two sacrifice bunts scored the go-ahead run before Lavergne scored on a wild pitch. Centenary went up 5-2 in the fourth. After a pair of one-out walks, Delaneuville cleared the bases with a double.
Delaneuville is 1-for-2 with three RBI's to lead Centenary from the plate so far in the game.
Down 5-2, Dallas scored one in the fifth and one in the seventh to pull within a run. In the fifth, Jordan Stickler singled, moved to second on a sacrifice, and scored on Nathan Patton's single.
In the seventh, Patton hit a one-out single to put the tying runs on the corners. A groundout made the score 5-4 before Mark Peterson was hit by a pitch. Lavergne then came to the mound before lightning forced a suspension with Hanson at the plate and a 3-2 count.
Centenary and Dallas will resume the suspended game Sunday afternoon, March 18, at noon.
