Shreveport - The Centenary softball team fell 7-5 to the Trinity University Tigers on Friday evening in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference opener for both teams at the Centenary Softball Complex.
The Ladies (4-5, 0-1 SCAC) and Tigers (1-12, 1-0 SCAC) will finish the series on Saturday with a doubleheader set for 1 and 3 p.m. Centenary and Trinity were meeting for the first time since last May when the Ladies recorded an 8-3 win in the opener of the 2021 SCAC Tournament in Kerrville, Texas.
Centenary continued its hot hitting as the Maroon and White pounded out 12 hits, marking the fourth time this season that they have collected 12 or more hits in a game. The Ladies' season high was 13 in a 4-3 win over Westminster (Mo.) on Feb. 19. Centenary also has a pair of 11-hit games for a total of six multi-hit performances in nine games this season.
Trinity recorded 13 hits, drew a pair of walks, struck out twice, and left nine on base. The Ladies only struck out one time, a season-low, and left eight on base but did not draw any walks. Centenary stole a season-high four bases, led by two from sophomore LF Mackenzie Cox (Alexandria, La.). Junior SS Kaylea Patridge (Las Vegas, Nev.) and freshman Brooke Sandefur (Baton Rouge, La.) each stole one. The Ladies have now stolen at least two bases in a game five time and have a total of 16 this season.
Patridge tied her season high with three hits to lead the offensive attack. She had a double and an RBI single and is now hitting .400 on the season. Cox finished 2-4 with two RBI and scored a run. She and Patridge teamed on a double steal in the first inning for the Ladies' first run, as Cox stole home for a 1-0 lead. Senior 2B Jaymee Wilkinson (Brazoria, Texas) finished 2-4 with two runs scored for her first multi-hit game of the season, and freshman RF Isabella Dominguez (Newark, Calif.) went 2-3 with an RBI as she posted her second multi-hit performance. Junior CF Mallory Stout (Trinity, Texas) was 1-2 with a run scored, freshman DH Alyssa Akers (Maurice, La.) went 1-3, and senior C Erin Lewis (Leesville, La.) finished 1-4.
Freshman P Katelyn Moss (Olive Branch, Miss.) started and lasted just two innings as she was tagged for three runs, all earned, and five hits with two walks and two strikeouts. She faced 14 batters and threw 45 pitches, 25 for strikes. Senior P Ashley Hunter (Benton, La.) relieved Moss and went the final five innings in her longest outing of the season. Hunter threw 65 pitches (46 strikes) and faced 23 batters as she allowed four runs, three earned, and eight hits. She did not walk or strike out a batter.
Trinity starter Cat Patterson picked up her first win of the season to improve to 1-4. She went the distance and allowed five runs, all earned, on 12 hits with no walks and one strikeout. She faced 34 batters and threw 108 pitches, 65 for strikes and hit one batter.
One inning after the Ladies cashed in on a double steal and a steal of home, the Tigers did the same as 3B Marina Delaluna stole home to tie the game at 1-1 as SS Alexa Saucedo swiped second. 2B Sammie Whitman delivered an RBI single up the middle to score Saucedo for a 2-1 lead but an RBI double by Dominguez in the bottom of the second tied the game. Trinity scored a pair in the top of the third on a two-run single by Saucedo and added single runs in the fourth and sixth for a 6-2 lead.
Centenary would not go quietly though, as Cox had a two-RBI single followed by a run-scoring hit from Patridge in the sixth to cut the lead to 6-5. The Ladies had two on and were threatening to tie or take the lead, but Patterson got Rivero on a groundout and Lewis on a flyout to end the inning and hold the lead.
Delaluna delivered a one-out RBI single in the seventh for some insurance for Trinity, and Patterson retired the Ladies in order in the bottom half to secure the win. Whitman, Saucedo, Delaluna, C Jessica Lloyd, and 1B Jordyn Williams each had two hits and Saucedo and Williams each finished with two RBI. The Tigers had five Doubles and also stole four bases.
See the Ladies' complete season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/sball/2021-22/schedule
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