Shreveport– The Centenary baseball team improved to 2-0 on the young season with a 7-4 non-conference victory over the East Texas Baptist University Tigers on a frigid afternoon at Shehee Stadium.
The Gents (2-0) followed up Tuesday's season-opening 6-1 home win over Louisiana College with their 11th win in their last 15 games dating back to last season and are now 5-1 in their last six home games. Centenary won its fourth-straight game overall against the Tigers.
ETBU got on the board first with a single run in the top of the second inning on an unearned run. The Gents, though, immediately responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning to take a two-run lead. Junior catcher Ben Bridges (Beckville, Texas) led off with a double down the left field line and advanced to third on a groundout. Junior center fielder Gary Hewitt (Cedar Park, Texas) then delivered an RBI single to score Bridges and tie the game. Hewitt made his way to second base on an error by the catcher and then went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a two-out double by junior shortstop Brady Robinson (Jacksonville, Texas).
Tigers starter Blake Corbin then issues back to back walks to senior right fielder Cody Crowder (Shepherd, Texas) and senior third baseman Chris Haggard (Lake Charles, La.) to load the bases. Corbin's wildness continued as he then walked senior first baseman Preston Ludwick (Pflugerville, Texas) to bring across another run.
Centenary struck for two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning as the first four Gents to come to the plate reached against Tigers reliever Rece Gustafason. Haggard delivered an RBI double and Bridges reached on an infield single to make it 5-1.
Those two runs were important as the Tigers came back with a pair in the top of the fifth. Shortstop Jake Miller had an RBI groundout and third baseman Carson Wilson had a two-out RBI single to make it a 5-3 game. Sophomore right-hander Parker Primeaux (Lake Charles, La.) came on in relief of Gents starting pitcher, senior Connor Lee ((Sugarland, Texas) to start the sixth. Catcher Austin Barry had an RBI single with two outs to cut the Gents' lead to 5-4 but Primeaux got second baseman Fox Locke to ground out with the tying run at second to end the inning and the threat.
Centenary added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh as Ludwick ripped a two-run single up the middle to score Robinson and senior left fielder Luke Royle (Dodge City, Kan.) to make it 7-4. Ludwick finished the game 1-3 with three RBI and a pair of walks. Bridges had a career-high four hits to lead the Gents' offense, going 4-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Bridges' previous career-high for hits in a game was three set last season in a 10-7 win over La Verne on March 1, 2020, and he now has five multi-hit games in his career.
Haggard, Royle, and Robinson each collected two hits apiece and Robinson added three runs scored, an RBI, and a walk. Crowder walked three times as the Gents drew eight walks in the game against five ETBU pitchers. Corbin took the loss for the Tigers as he allowed three runs, all earned, and three hits in three innings. He struck out three and walked five on the day. Lee (1-0) picked up his first win of the season for the Gents as he went five innings and allowed six hits and three runs, none earned, with four strikeouts and did not walk a batter. Primeaux earned the save as he pitched the final four innings and was solid in relief. He allowed just four hits and one unearned run with no walks and four strikeouts.
Centenary pitching has been superb through the season's first two games, allowing just one earned run in 18 innings with only three walks and 14 strikeouts. The offense has been equally as impressive, collecting 25 hits and 13 runs. The Gents have now collected at least 10 hits in a game in eleven of their last 15 games dating back to last season.
Friday's meeting between the Gents and Tigers was the first of three scheduled contests between the two teams this season. Centenary is scheduled to travel to Marshall, Texas to face ETBU on March 2 and March 23. The Gents next face Belhaven on the road in a non-conference game set for Friday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. in Jackson, Miss.
Live stats and live video are available for all home games.
A link to the Gents' complete 2021 schedule can be found here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/schedule
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