Diamond Gents Pound 'Roos To Complete Series Sweep

Shreveport - The Centenary baseball team completed a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference series sweep over the Austin College 'Roos on Sunday afternoon by a score of 11-3 at Shehee Stadium.

The Diamond Gents (9-9, 4-1 SCAC) began the series on Saturday with a DH sweep, winning 3-2 in game one and 10-4 in game two over the 'Roos (7-12, 1-4 SCAC). Centenary has now won 12 games in a row over Austin College and is 36-2 all-time against AC.

Centenary scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning and added a single run in the second to take an early 3-0 lead. The 'Roos, though, tied the game in the top of the third with three runs. The Diamond Gents then scored twice in the bottom of the fourth, one in the fifth, four more in the sixth and one final run in the seventh to pull away for the easy win.

The Diamond Gents finished with 12 hits, drew six walks, struck out four times, left 12 on base, and made one error. The 'Roos had nine hits, drew one walk, struck out nine times, left eight on base, and made two errors. Centenary stole four bases while the 'Roos swiped a pair.

Senior P Blaine Hardy (Shreveport, La.) started on the mound for Centenary and picked up the win to improve to 2-0 on the season as he worked six innings and allowed three runs, all earned, and four hits with one BB and six K's. He faced 25 batters and threw 90 pitches – 58 strikes. Sophomore RHP Aidan Reichek (Bellaire, Texas) relieved Hardy and pitched a scoreless inning, facing three batters and allowing one hit as he threw 11 pitches (six strikes). Senior P Hank Bennett (Richmond, Texas) went an inning and allowed just one hit and freshman Kade Godfrey (Nacogdoches, Texas) pitched the ninth and allowed just two hits with one K.

Jake Trapani (0-3) started for the 'Roos and was hit hard as he allowed five runs, all earned, and six hits in 3.1 IP with three BB and no K's. He faced 21 batters and threw 67 pitches – 37 for strikes and hit one batter. Six relievers followed and allowed a combined six runs (all earned) and six hits with three BB and four K's. Austin College pitchers hit four centenary batters, allowed two home runs, and balked once.

Four Centenary players posted multi-hit games – sophomore LF Carson Livesay (Lafayette, La.), freshman 1B Alex Miller (Cypress, Texas), sophomore 3B Clay Menard (Berwick, La.), and senior C Jake Gonce (Katy, Texas). Livesay finished 2-4 with an RBI, two runs scored, a stolen base, and a BB while Miller was 2-5 with two RBI and Menard went 2-3 with two runs scored, a stolen base, and three BB. Gonce was 2-3 with three runs scored and a walk.

Sophomore CF Collin Pitts (Lufkin, Texas) was 1-5 with a run scored, senior SS Jobee Boone (Opelousas, La.) was 1-4 with three RBI, freshman DH Walker Wicklund (Shreveport, La.) went 1-4 with a two-run home run – the first of his career, a run scored and a stolen base. Senior RF Austyn Benoit (Welsh, La.) had a solo home run in the seventh, his second of the season, and was 1-2 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Freshman 2B Braeden Morse (Pearland, Texas) had an RBI on a sacrifice bunt in the sixth inning.

Austin College was led offensively by 1B Scott Hosmer (3-4 with a run scored), SS Mason Woodhouse (2-5 with two RBI), and the foursome of RayShawn Riley, Kaden Stegent, Tripp Thoms and Asher Thompson went a combined 4-14 with an RBI and a run scored.

Boone's two-run single in the first gave Centenary an early 2-0 lead and Miller made it 3-0 with an RBI single in the second. Woodhouse delivered a two- RBI single in the third to make it 3-2 and Riley's sac fly tied the game later in the inning.

Miller came through again with another RBI single in the fourth and Boone drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 5-3. Gonce scored on a Menard groundout in the fifth and three runs in the sixth made it 10-3. Wicklund's two-run homer, Morse's groundout, and Livesay's RBI single accounted for the runs and Benoit's solo bomb in the seventh capped the scoring.

Centenary hits the road next weekend to face the Schreiner University Mountaineers in Kerrville, Texas for a three-game SCAC series.

See the complete Diamond Gents' season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/schedule

Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests. Live stats and live video stream are available for all Centenary home contests. Please note that all dates and times are subject to change.

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