Longview, Texas - The Centenary softball team split a non-conference doubleheader with the LeTourneau University YellowJackets on Wednesday, falling 2-1 in game one and earning a wild comeback 11-4 win in game two at the LETU Softball Field.
The Ladies (13-17) and YellowJackets (12-22) were meeting for the first time since 2018 when they also split a DH in Longview. Centenary was playing its final non-conference contests of the season and was taking a break from Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play after taking of three games in a home series last weekend versus Schreiner.
Game 1 Recap: LeTourneau 2 Centenary 1
Each team scored a run in the first inning of game one and then LeTourneau pushed across the eventual winning run in the fifth. The YellowJackets finished with six hits while the Ladies had seven and committed one error. LeTourneau left six on base, the Ladies left five, and the YellowJackets drew three walks while the Ladies did not draw a walk.
Freshman P Katelyn Moss (4-5) suffered the loss for the Ladies but pitched well as she went five innings and allowed two runs, just one earned, on five hits with two walks and a strikeout. She faced 22 batters and threw 62 pitches, 37 for strikes. Senior Ashley Hunter (Benton, La.) relieved her and pitched the final inning allowed one hit with one walk.
Hailee Leger, who played for Centenary as a freshman last season, picked up the win for LeTourneau to improve to 3-5 as she went the distance and allowed one earned run and seven hits with no walks and four K's. She faced 27 batters and threw 83 pitches (58 strikes).
Senior C Erin Lewis (Leesville, La.) got the Ladies on the board first as she drove home sophomore RF Mackenzie Cox (Alexandria, La.) with a two-out single to left in the first inning. Cox had reached on an infield single with one out and stole second base. The YellowJackets tied it with an unearned run in the bottom of the first and C Kylie Grisham delivered a two-out RBI single to give her team the 2-1 lead.
Hunter worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the sixth to keep it a one-run deficit but Leger got the Ladies in order on a strikeout and a pair of groundouts in the seventh to seal the win.
Cox led the Ladies with two hits, scored a run and stole a base. Junior CF Mallory Stout (Trinity, Texas), junior LF Kaylea Patridge (Las Vegas, Nev.), sophomore 1B Isabelle Dominguez (Newark, Calif.), freshman 3B Viviana Rivero (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Lewis each had one hit.
Game 2 Recap: Centenary 11 LeTourneau 4
The Ladies erupted for an astounding 10 runs in the seventh inning, nine coming with two outs, to record a thrilling comeback win. Centenary scored 10+ runs for the third time this season and had 11 hits, marking the 11th time the Maroon and White had double-digit hits in a game this season.
Freshman P Anna Scarbrock (Alexandria, La.) was the winner as she tossed a complete game, her team-leading sixth of the season, and allowed just four runs (one earned) on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts. She faced 29 batters and threw 100 pitches, 64 for strikes. Scarbrock was named the SCAC Pitcher of the Week on Monday after a superb series last weekend. The rookie picked up two wins, pitched one complete game, and did not allow an earned run in 10.1 innings of work.
LeTourneau took a 2-0 lead after an inning and added a single run in the third for a 3-0 lead. The Ladies scored one in the fourth but the YellowJackets responded with one of their own in the fifth to make it 4-1. Centenary drew four walks, stole two bases, and had two extra-base hits. The Ladies left eight on base, committed three errors, and struck out four times. The YellowJackets drew two walks, struck out twice, left four on base, and committed five costly errors.
Down 3-0, Lewis doubled in Cox for the Ladies' first run in the fourth and then staring down a 4-1 deficit and a potential doubleheader sweep with just three outs to work with, Centenary's offense went to work. Freshman SS Brooke Sandefur (Baton Rouge, La.), Patridge, and Cox all singled to load the bases with none out. Rivero then drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in the second run and make it 4-2.
Jade Merrell then retired Lewis on a foul out and got senior 2B Jaymee Wilkinson (Brazoria, Texas) to pop out. Down to their final out with the bases loaded and trailing 4-2, Stout reached on an error by SS Preslie Turney scoring Cox and Patridge to tie the game. Dominguez then drew a walk to re-load the bases. Freshman 1B Kaitlyn Dickey (Church Point, La.) singled home the go-ahead run and Sandefur singled and advanced to second on another LeTourneau that allowed two runs to score.
Laney Taylor came on to pitch for Merrell and Patridge greeted her with a two-run triple to make it 9-4. Cox walked and stole second and Rivero ripped a two-run single to make it 11-4. Lewis struck out to end the inning but the damage was done. Scarbrock retired the stunned YellowJackets easily in the seventh to seal the improbable win.
Lexi Hutchins started for LeTourneau and went 3.1 innings, allowing one earned run and three hits with no walks and three K's. Merrell (1-3) was charged with the loss as she allowed eight runs, one earned, and six hits in her 3.1 innings with three walks and no K's. Taylor allowed two earned runs and two hits in her 0.1 innings of work with a walk and a K.
Patridge and Sandefur led the Ladies' offensive attack with three hits each while Cox had two. Dickey, Lewis, and Rivero each had one. Patridge went 3-4 with two RBI, two runs scored, a walk, and a stolen base. Cox was 2-3 with three runs scored, a walk, and a stolen base, and Sandefur finished 3-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Rivero was 1-3 with three RBI, a walk, and a run scored, and Dickey was 1-4 with an RBI and a run. Lewis finished 1-5 with her RBI double.
Centenary finishes the regular season with a key SCAC series at St. Thomas this weekend in Houston. The Ladies and Celts will play a doubleheader on Saturday at Noon and 2 p.m. and a single game on Sunday at Noon. St. Thomas (20-12, 12-6 SCAC) is currently third in the conference standings while Centenary is sixth.
The top six teams at the conclusion of the regular season qualify for the 2022 SCAC Championship April 29-May 1 in Irving, Texas.
See the Ladies' complete season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/sball/2021-22/schedule
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