Lavergne Picks Up Complete Game Win in Series Finale against #11 Texas Lutheran

SEGUIN, Texas - There is something about senior Cole Lavergne and complete games in the series finale against the Bulldogs.

For the second straight year, Lavergne went the distance against the Bulldogs, while the Gents scored five in the seventh to overcome a one-run deficit as Centenary (19-12, 10-2 SCAC) bested #11 Texas Lutheran (20-12, 8-4 SCAC) 7-3 Sunday afternoon, April 15.

Coupled with a Southwestern loss to Austin College Sunday afternoon, the Diamond Gents become the second team to clinch a berth in the 2018 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament.

Down 3-2 in the seventh, freshman Chris Haggard singled to put the tying run on base. Errors on sacrifice bunt attempts by both junior Andrew Russell and senior Nicholas Delaneuville scored the tying run and put a pair of Gents in scoring position with no outs. Freshman Peyton Cormane followed with an RBI single to put Centenary on top, but head's up base running moved Cormane to second. Sophomore Cody Crowder hit a sacrifice fly to score the third run of the inning. Cormane then swiped third and scored on senior Chris Zapata's single.

Another Bulldogs error, their fourth of the inning, pushed Zapata to third. Junior Cameron Guin added a sacrifice fly to put Centenary up 7-3. On the mound, Lavergne allowed just a single in the eighth and ninth as Centenary held on for the win.

Everyone in the Centenary line-up either had an RBI or scored a run. Zapata went 2-for-5 from the plate with two runs scored and an RBI, while Cormane also went 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI.

Lavergne threw his second collegiate complete game, improving to 4-2 on the season. He allowed 11 hits and three runs while striking out four.

Centenary scored a pair in the first to take an early lead thanks to five-straight, one-out singles by Crowder, Zapata, senior Ian Graham, Guin, and freshman Preston Ludwick.

Texas Lutheran quickly answered with two of its own in the bottom of the first. Riley Schaeffer singled and Ben Marvin led off the inning with a single and double. A sacrifice fly by Thomas Varner and an RBI single by Tyler Cauley tied the game.

The Bulldogs took a 3-2 lead in the second on Schaefer's RBI single.

Schaefer, Varner, and Cauley all managed a pair of hits. Clint Johns (4-1) took the loss for Texas Lutheran, allowing seven hits and four runs (two earned) in six innings of work.

Centenary returns to action for its final midweek game on Tuesday, April 17. First pitch against East Texas Baptist is scheduled for 6 p.m.