Late Home Runs Drop Gents Baseball in Pitching Battle at Austin College, 4-2

Late Home Runs Drop Gents Baseball in Pitching Battle at Austin College, 4-2

SHERMAN, Texas – The Diamond Gents scored an unearned run in the first and made the lead stand through four innings, but late inning home runs for 'Roos helped the home team win as Centenary (10-11-1, 2-1 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference) lost to Austin College (5-8, 1-2 SCAC) 4-2 Sunday afternoon, March 17.

Centenary's five hits for the game was the second-lowest of the season and the lowest in more than a month.

In the top of the first with one out, freshman Jake Ryan singled and sophomore Chris Haggard walked. After a strikeout, junior Cody Crowder reached on an error that allowed Ryan to score.

After falling behind 3-1 after six innings, Centenary used key two-out hitting to cut the deficit in half. With two outs in the seventh, sophomore Preston Ludwick walked and Crowder singled to put men on the corners. Sophomore pinch hitter Tyler Welch added an RBI single and put move Crowder to third, but a pop out ended the inning.

Brett Taff added a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh to put the 'Roos back up two runs, and the Gents were retired in order in the final two innings.

Tied at one in the sixth, Jake Webster hit a two-run home run off sophomore Connor Cudd (2-2) and Austin College never trailed the rest of the way. Webster led the 'Roos offensively with two hits and two RBIs.

Ryan Culp (3-0) picked up the win in relief, allowing a run and two hits in three innings of work for Austin College.

The 'Roos threatened to blow the game open in the fifth when they loaded the bases with no outs, but a lone RBI groundout tied the game.

Centenary returns to action next weekend when it welcomes Dallas for a three-game series March 23-24. The doubleheader on Saturday begins at 1 p.m.

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March 20, 2019 #MIChamps19 Web Site