Shreveport- The Centenary softball team recorded a non-conference doubleheader sweep over the Mississippi University for Women (The W) Owls on Saturday afternoon, winning 3-0 and 4-3 at the Centenary Softball Complex.
The Ladies (6-10) snapped their seven-game losing streak and improved to 3-4 at home while the Owls fell to 9-11 on the season. The teams were meeting for the first time since the 2020 season when they split a doubleheader in Columbus, Miss.
Game 1 Recap: Centenary 3 MUW 0
Centenary freshman P Katelyn Moss (Olive Branch, Miss.) threw a complete-game shutout in game one to improve to 3-2 on the season as the rookie lowered her team-best ERA to 3.31 and recorded her second complete game of the season. She scattered eight hits, walked one, and struck out a pair.
The Ladies took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as sophomore LF Mackenzie Cox (Alexandria, La.) reached on an error, stole second, and scored on a double by junior 2B Kaylea Patridge (Las Vegas, Nev.). Centenary added two more in the third and that was more than enough for Moss as she cruised to the win. Freshman 3B Viviano Rivero (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and senior C Erin Lewis (Leesville, La.) smacked consecutive doubles for the 3-0 lead.
Centenary finished the game with five hits, three of which were doubles, drew a walk, and only struck out once. The Owls had eight hits but made two costly errors and left nine on base. They drew a walk and struck out twice. The Ladies only left four on base and made just on error but did not hurt them. Rivero finished 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored, and Lewis, Patridge, and freshman DP Alyssa Akers (Maurice, La.) had the other Ladies' hits.
MUW starting pitcher Kaitlyn Parrish (2-5) suffered the loss as she went six innings and allowed three runs, none earned, on five hits with a walk and a strikeout. 1B Anna Sandlin went 2-3 and 2B Riley Phillips was 2-4. RF Kaylee Quimby went 1-3 with a walk. The Owls loaded the bases in the top of the sixth in what was their best scoring chance of the game but Moss got a groundout to end the threat.
Game 2 Recap: Centenary 4 MUW 3
Akers capped a 3-4 performance at the plate by driving in Rivero in the bottom of the seventh for a walk-off win. Akers' three hits are a single-game season high and marked her fifth multi-hit performance.
The Owls took an early 1-0 lead after an inning but the Ladies tied it in their half of the second. MUW responded with two runs in the top of the third to take a 3-1 lead but those would be the Owls' final two of the game. The Ladies scored a run in the bottom of the third and another in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game. After two scoreless innings, Akers delivered with the winning hit with one out in the bottom of the seventh to give the Ladies the sweep.
The Ladies finished with 11 hits while the Owls had six. Each team made two errors but the Owls' two miscues were on consecutive plays in the bottom of the seventh which helped the Ladies win the game. MUW left five on base, walked just once, and struck out twice. Centenary left eight on, only struck out twice, and drew three walks.
Cox and junior CF Mallory Stout (Trinity, Texas) each had two hits and Cox also walked twice, drove in a run, scored a run, and stole a base. Lewis was 1-4, sophomore RF Isabelle Dominguez (Newark, Calif.) had a sacrifice fly, Patridge went 1-4, freshman SS Brooke Sandefur (Baton Rouge, La.) finished 1-2, and freshman 1B Kaitlyn Dickey (Church Point, La.) went 1-3 with a double, a walk, and a run scored.
Freshman P Anna Scarbock (Alexandria, La.) started for the Ladies and went three innings, allowing three runs, one earned, and five hits with no walks and no strikeouts. She allowed a two-run home run to Phillips in the third with one out by stranded two in the inning to keep the deficit at 3-1. She faced 16 batters and threw 51 pitches, 35 for strikes. Senior P Ashley Hunter (Benton, La.) relieved her and got the win to improve to 2-1 as she went the final four innings and was outstanding as she allowed just a hit with a walk and two K's. Hunter threw 52 pitches (33 strikes) and faced 13 batters.
Amelia Stalter started in the circle for the Owls and went four innings and allowed three runs, all earned, on seven hits with a pair of walks and no strikeouts. She faced 20 batters and threw 60 pitches, 37 for strikes. Rylie Grisham (3-2) came on in relief and absorbed the loss as she went 2.1 innings and allowed an unearned run on four hits with a walk and two K's. She faced 14 batters and threw 44 pitches (23 strikes).
Grisham's RBI single to score Phillips in the top of the first gave the Owls the 1-0 lead but Dominguez' SAC fly in the bottom of the second scored Dickey to tie the game. Stout smacked an RBI single in the third to score Cox as the Ladies responded following Phillips' homer in the top half. Cox ripped a clutch, two-out RBI double in the bottom of the fourth to score Akers and tie the game at 3-3.
Rivero reached on an error by Phillips to begin the bottom of the seventh and an error on the next play by the third baseman allowed Lewis to reach on a fielder's choice and Rivero moved to second. Stout executed a sacrifice bunt to move the runners into scoring position and Dickey walked to load the bases and put the pressure on Grisham and the Owls. Akers then came through with the game-winning hit.
Centenary is back home next weekend as the Ladies return to conference play versus the University of Dallas Crusaders (5-17, 2-4 SCAC) with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 26 at Noon and 2 p.m. and a single game on Sunday, March 27 at Noon.
See the Ladies' complete season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/sball/2021-22/schedule
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