Conway, Ark. - The Centenary softball team went 1-1 on the final day of the 2022 Warrior Spring Fling hosted by Hendrix College, defeating Westminster (Mo.) 13-4 in five innings and was edged 9-8 by Hendrix at Warrior Softball Field.
The Ladies (3-3) also split their two games on Saturday, beating Westminster 4-3 and falling to Hendrix 7-6. Hendrix improved to 7-1 on the young season while the Blue Jays of Westminster fell to 0-4.
Game one recap: Centenary 13 Westminster (Mo.) 4 (5 innings)
The Ladies scored a season-high in runs and nearly matched their season high in hits in a five-inning rout of the Blue Jays. Centenary pounded out 12 hits, just one shy of its season-record of 13 recorded on Saturday versus Westminster.
Centenary took a 1-0 lead after an inning and then exploded for 11 runs in the next two innings combined to jump ahead 12-0. The Blue Jays scored four in the bottom of the fourth, then the Ladies added a single run in the fifth and then got out of a one-out bases loaded situation in the bottom of the fifth to finish off the blowout win. The Ladies tied their season high with three doubles and added a triple and a home run for a season-high five extra-base hits and also tied their single-game season high of two stolen bases.
Five Ladies recorded multi-hit performances led by three hits each from senior C Erin Lewis (Leesville, La.) and sophomore LF Mackenzie Cox (Alexandria, La.). Junior SS Kaylea Patridge (Las Vegas, Nev.), junior CF Mallory Stout (Trinity, Texas), and freshman C Viviana Rivero (Redondo Beach, Calif.) each had two hits. Lewis posted her fourth multi-hit game this season, tied her single-game career high of three hits, and posted the 19th multi-hit game of her career while Cox recorded her third, and 14th of her career.
Freshman P Katelyn Moss (Olive Branch, Miss.) started and earned her first collegiate victory as she went 3.2 innings and allowed four runs, just two earned, and four hits with a walk and two strikeouts and hit one Blue Jay. She faced 17 batters and threw 63 pitches, 33 for strikes. Senior P Ashley Hunter (Benton, La.) pitched the final 1.1 innings and allowed three hits and two walks with one strikeout. She faced nine batters and threw a total of 30 pitches, 16 for strikes.
Rivero reached on an error in the top of the first and Cox scored for the early Centenary lead and then Cox delivered a two-RBI single in the second followed by an RBI single by Patridge for a 4-0 advantage. Lewis crushed a three-run homer for a 7-0 lead. In the third, Stout smacked a two-run double, Cox had an RBI bunt single, Patridge tripled in Cox, and Rivero delivered a sacrifice fly to cap the five-run inning and make it 12-0 Ladies. Lewis delivered an RBI double in the fifth for good measure.
Lewis finished with a game-high four RBI, Cox had three, and Rivero, Patridge, and Stout each had two. The Ladies also drew three walks, did not strike out, and only left four on base. Cox also stole two bases. Westminster left seven on base, committed an error, and struck out three times.
Game two recap: Hendrix 9 Centenary 8
The Ladies fell behind the host Warriors 9-1 after three innings, but rallied with seven runs over the final three innings including three in the final frame and had the tying run thrown out at the plate in a crushing 9-8 loss.
Centenary finished with 12 hits, its fourth-straight game with at least 11 hits, and had a pair of extra-base hits. Hendrix had 13 hits and three extra-base hits. The Ladies left 10 on base, the Warriors eight, and each team committed four errors. Patridge and freshman 1B Kaitlyn Dickey (Church Point, La.) each had three hits to lead the Ladies' offense and Cox and Rivero each had two. Rivero had three RBI and Patridge and Dickey each drove in a pair.
Freshman P Anna Scarbock (Alexandria, La.) started and took the loss as she went two innings and allowed five runs, two earned, and five hits with a strikeout and did not walk a batter. She allowed one home run and threw 40 pitches, 27 for strikes, and faced 14 batters. Hunter came in for Scarbock and went an inning, allowing four earned runs and six hits with no walks and one K. She faced seven batters and threw 27 pitches, 18 for strikes. Moss, the game one winner, pitched the final three innings and was solid as she allowed just two hits and no runs with a pair of walks and one K. She faced 14 batters and threw 44 total pitches, 27 for strikes.
Hailey Johnston started and got the win for the Warriors to improve to 3-0. She went 4.1 innings and allowed just one earned run and five hits with a walk and three K's. She faced 19 batters and threw 72 pitches, 44 for strikes. Tori Veith and Skyler Teague combined to allow seven unearned runs and seven hits over the final 2.2 innings in relief with five walks and two strikeouts.
Patridge got the Ladies on the board in the third with an RBI single to score Cox and make it 3-1 but a six-run bottom half of the inning by Hendrix made it 9-1. The Ladies scored an unearned run in the fifth and Rivero and Dickey had run-scoring hits in the sixth to cut the deficit to 9-5. Senior 2B Jaymee Wilkinson (Brazoria, Texas) flew out to center with the bases loaded to end the sixth as the Warriors clung to their once sizable lead.
Moss retired the Warriors easily in the bottom of the sixth to set the stage for a frantic ending. Teague got two quick outs but then walked Stout and Cox reached on an error. Patridge and Rivero followed with consecutive RBI singles to make it 9-7 and after a walk to Lewis to load the bases, Johnston was brought back to pitcher. Dickey reached on an infield single scoring Patridge, and Rivero tried to also score and was thrown out at the plate to end the game.
Rivero finished 2-4 with three RBI and a walk, Cox was 2-4 with a triple, a walk and four runs scored from the leadoff spot, and Patridge was 3-5 with two RBI and a run scored. Lewis was 1-3 with a double and pair of walks and Dickey finished 3-5 with two RBI. Stout was 1-3 with two runs scored and a walk.
Centenary will face Texas A&M-Texarkana in a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 4 and 6 p.m. in Texarkana, Texas.
See the Ladies' complete season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/sball/2021-22/schedule
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