Jackson, Miss. – The Centenary baseball team picked up a pair of dominant victories on Sunday in the Belhaven University Tournament, starting the day with a 15-5 win over Edgewood and finishing things off with a 10-2 decision against Huntingdon College at Smith-Wills Stadium.
The Gents (4-1) quickly shook off their first loss of the season, a 5-0 setback to host Belhaven on Saturday night, by scoring 25 runs and collecting 29 hits on Sunday. Centenary scored in double digits for the first time this season after doing so five times in just 13 games last season. The Gents also scored more than 12 runs in a game for the fifth time in the last two seasons.
Senior right fielder Cody Crowder (Shepherd, Texas) had a big day for the Gents as he went 4-10 at the plate with four RBI, three runs scored, and a walk. He had three extra-base hits on the day as he tripled in game one and had a double and a home run in the second game. His triple was the 11th of his career as he became the Gents' all-time leader in triples in the division III era (2012-present). Crowder is now hitting .368 for the season with a .500 on-base percentage and is slugging .737. He is tied for the team-lead in hits with seven, is tied for second in runs scored with five, and it tied for the team lead in RBI with five. He also has drawn a team-best five walks. Crowder was 2-4 with an RBI, a walk, and a run scored in the first game versus Edgewood and 2-6 with three RBI and two runs scored against Huntingdon.
Game 1 Recap: Centenary 15 Edgewood 5
Six Gents recorded multi-hit games and the Centenary offense exploded for a season-high 15 runs and 14 hits. Senior third baseman Chris Haggard (Lake Charles, La.) went 2-4 with a pair of RBI and four runs scored along with a walk. Junior center fielder Gary Hewitt (Cedar Park, Texas) was 2-5 with two RBI and two runs scored, senior left fielder John Beaudion (Houston, Texas) went 2-5 with two RBI and two runs scored and hit his first-career home run. Junior shortstop Brady Robinson (Jacksonville, Texas) was 2-4 with two RBI and a pair of runs scored and also his first career homer. Senior catcher Tyler Erickson (Houston, Texas) was 2-5 with an RBI and a run scored.
Centenary took immediate control of the game with six runs in their first at-bat and led 11-2 after three innings. The Gents scored at least two runs in four different innings to cruise to the win as seven different players had at least one RBI and Centenary had five extra-base hits. Senior Preston Ludwick (Pflugerville, Texas) started on the mound for the Gents and picked up the win as he went four innings and allowed three runs, all earned, and three hits with three walks and three strikeouts. He threw 73 pitches, 41 for strikes, in his first appearance of the season. He also moved to designated hitter later and went 1-5 with an RBI and a run scored.
Senior right-hander Andy Purpura (Bozeman, Mont.) relieved Ludwick in his first appearance of the season and went two innings and allowed one earned run on two hits with no walks and a pair of strikeouts. Senior Luke Royle (Dodge City, Kan.) was the Gents' third pitcher of the game following Purpura and pitched two innings and allowed just one unearned run, on just one hit with a walk and four strikeouts. Sophomore Zachary Davis (Rockdale, Texas) pitched the final inning and had a pair of strikeouts. All four pitchers were making their season debuts on the mound on Sunday.
Edgewood's starter, Joseph Kalafut, suffered the loss as he allowed 11 runs, five earned, on nine hits with two walks and three strikeouts in three innings of work. Three relievers followed and combined to give up four runs and 5 hits with no walks and three strikeouts. The Eagles (0-3) committed seven errors in the game.
Game 2 Recap: Centenary 10 Huntingdon 2
The Gents picked up right where they left off in game two on Sunday, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning en route to the blowout win over the Huntingdon College Hawks, who fell to 1-1 with the loss.
The Hawks cut Centenary's lead to 4-2 after six innings, but the Gents added a single run in the top of the seventh and then put the game away with five more in the eighth. Centenary collected 15 hits after having 14 in the earlier win over Edgewood. The Hawks had just eight hits, walked five Centenary batters, and committed an error.
Crowder went 2-6 with three RBI and two runs scored. Five fellow Gents collected at least two hits and Centenary had four extra-base hits. Erickson, Hewitt, and Robinson combined to go 6-13 at the plate as all three players posted multi-hit efforts in both of Sunday's games. Senior Tyler Welch (Alexandria, La.) went 2-2 with a run scored and a walk and junior catcher Ben Bridges (Beckville, Texas) was 2-3 with two RBI and had two walks.
Senior Conner Poche (Lutcher, La.) started on the mound for the Gents and went two innings and allowed four hits but no runs. He did not walk or strike out a batter. Freshman Jacob Colby (Kingwood, Texas) relieved Poche and pitched 2.1 innings allowing one unearned run and one hit with three walks and a pair of strikeouts. Huntingdon starter Wallace Henry took the loss as he allowed four runs, all earned, and eight hits in five innings. He waked two and did not record a strikeout.
Sophomore Parker Primeaux (Lake Charles, La.) earned the win in relief as the Gents' third and final pitcher of the day. He went 4.2 innings and allowed just one run on three hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Primeaux now has a win and a save this season and has been superb as he has allowed just two runs, one earned, in 11.1 innings pitched (0.79 ERA) with four walks and a team-best 11 strikeouts.
The Gents will hit the road again next weekend to once again face Huntingdon in a three-game non-conference series in Montgomery, Ala. The teams are set for a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 27 at Noon and 3 p.m. and a single game on Sunday the 28th at Noon.
Live stats and live video are available for all home contests.
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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