Shreveport - The Centenary softball team swept a non-conference doubleheader over the Millsaps College Majors on Tuesday afternoon, 5-2 in game one and 5-3 in game two at the Centenary Softball Complex.
The Ladies (4-4) improved to 2-2 at home this season and have won three of their last four games against the Majors (4-4) following a split in Jackson last season.
Game one recap: Centenary 5 Millsaps 2
Millsaps scored the first run of the game in the top of the second but the Ladies immediately responded with four in the bottom half. Each team scored a run in the third and then three and a half scoreless frames followed as that one big inning by the Ladies was enough.
Centenary finished with nine hits and only struck out twice, leaving four on base. Millsaps only managed three hits, left three on, and each team struck out twice. Millsaps drew five walks but could not make the Ladies pay.
Freshman Alexis Roach (Pineville, La.) started for the Ladies in the circle and went an inning as she allowed one earned run and did not allow a hit but walked four of the six batters she faced with one strikeout. Freshman Emma Crow (Krotz Springs, La.) relieved her and got the win as she was impressive in her six innings of work, allowing just three hits and an unearned run with a walk and a K. She faced 20 batters and improved to 2-1.
Delta Claire Newman (1-2) went the distance for the Majors and suffered the loss. She allowed five runs, all earned, and nine hits in six innings with no walks and two K's.
Junior LF Mackenzie Cox (Alexandria, La.) and freshman 2B Catherine Stokes (Natchitoches, La.) each went 2-3 to pace the Ladies' offense. Stoke had two RBI and Cox scored a run and stole a base. Sophomore SS Brooke Sandefur (Baton Rouge, La.) went 1-3 with two RBI and a run scored and sophomore 1B Kaitlyn Dickey (Church Point, La.) finished 1-2 with an RBI and a run scored. Sophomore DH Viviana Rivero (Redondo Beach, Calif.) was 1-3, senior CF Mallory Stout (Trinity, Texas) went 1-3 with a run scored, and freshman RF Sophie Vidrine (Eunice, La.) was 1-3 with a run.
DH Brianna Newman singled in the third for the Majors' first hit of the game. C Amber Clark singled the following inning and 1B Magen Authement singled with two outs in the sixth but that was it for the Majors. Roach walked the bases loaded with no outs in the second and Crow issued a free pass to Clark for a 1-0 Millsaps lead, but then Authement was out at the plate on a fielder's choice and 3B Camille Black lined into a double play to end the inning as Crow and the Ladies escaped a jam while only allowing one run.
That escape energized the Ladies' dugout as they scored all four of their runs in the bottom of the second with two outs. Dickey singled with one out and after sophomore 3B Alyssa Akers (Maurice, La.) flew out to center, Vidrine dropped down a perfect bunt and raced to first. Cox then singled through the left side to load the bases. Sandefur and Stokes then followed with consecutive clutch two-run singles.
Dickey came through with a two-out sacrifice fly in the third to answer an RBI groundout by RF Katie Norris in the top half and Crow allowed just two base runners the rest of the way.
The Ladies' defense and strong pitching continually erased scoring threats by Millsaps. CF Molli Perry led off the game with a walk but freshman C Jaeden Thrasher (Forney, Texas) threw her out attempting to steal. The Majors then had another runner thrown out at the plate the following inning. LF Haylie Hoffpauir hit into a double play after Clark's single in the fourth and Authement was thrown out at second trying to stretch her single into a double in the sixth. Crow then retired the Majors in order in the seventh inning to seal the win.
Game two recap: Centenary 5 Millsaps 3
Millsaps jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first just as the Majors did in the previous game and added one more in the top of the third, but another four-run outburst by the Ladies have them a 4-2 lead after three innings. The Ladies added an insurance run in the fifth and survived a tense top of the seventh to seal the win and DH sweep.
Sophomore P Anna Scarbrock (Alexandria, La.) started and got the win to improve to 2-1. She went five innings and allowed just two unearned runs and five hits with three walks and one strikeout. She faced 25 batters and threw 84 pitches, 57 for strikes. Freshman Abigail Hodgson (Georgetown, Texas) came on to relieve Scarbrock in the sixth and pitched the final two innings to earn her first-career save. She allowed just one unearned run and two hits with a walk and a K. She faced eight batters and threw 46 pitches (27 strikes).
Brianna Newman (1-1) started and took the loss for the Majors. She allowed four runs (one earned) and eight hits in four innings with a walk and no K's. Hannah Derouen came in next and pitched the fifth and allowed an earned run on two hits with a walk and Abigail Smith pitched the sixth and retired the Ladies in order.
The Ladies finished with 10 hits, marking the fifth time in eight game this season that they have had double digit hits in a game. Centenary also drew two walks and did not strike out. The Ladies left eight on base and made three errors, but strong pitching and timely hitting overshadowed those numbers. Millsaps had seven hits, drew four walks, struck out twice, and left nine on. The Majors also committed two errors and each team stole one base.
Cox, Thrasher, and junior 1B Isabelle Dominguez (Newark, Calif.) led the way on offense with two hits apiece. Rivero, Sandefur, Stokes, and Vidrine each had one. Stout scored two runs and drew a pair of walks. Rivero delivered a two-out RBI single in the third to cut the Ladies' deficit to 2-1 and after Stout walked, Trasher ripped a single to left field to score a pair and give Centenary the lead. Dominguez then followed with another RBI and the final Ladies' run came courtesy of an TBI groundout by Akers in the sixth.
Needing just three outs and holding a three-run lead, Hodgson walked Katie Norris to start the seventh. Haylie Hoffpauir then pinch ran for Norris and moved to second on a passed ball. SS Alli Nolen then singled to center but the Majors unwisely gambled and Hoffpauir was thrown out at the plate on a perfect throw from Stout in center field. Millsaps would have had runners on the corners with no outs and the typing run at the plate. Hodgson then got a pop out for out number two and after an error allowed Nolen to score, the Ladies got the final out to escape another jam.
Centenary will return to action at home on Sunday, March 5 with a non-conference doubleheader versus St. John Fisher.
See the Ladies' complete season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/sball/2022-23/schedule
Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests and Live stats and live video stream are available for all home contests as well. Please note that all dates and times are subject to change.
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