Shreveport - The Centenary baseball team swept a non-conference doubleheader from the East Texas Baptist University Tigers on Saturday by scores of 7-0 and 12-5 at Shehee Stadium.
The Gents (3-0) opened their season on Friday with a 5-3 victory over ETBU in Marshall. Centenary has now won 10 of the last 14 matchups between the two teams.
Centenary senior Matthew Devillier (Lake Charles, La.) started for the Gents on the mound on Saturday and pitched a complete-game shutout. The right-hander allowed just two hits in his seven innings of work with two walks and four strikeouts and threw 85 pitches. ETBU starter Alan Underwood took the loss as he allowed four runs, all earned, and seven hits in 4.1 innings pitched. He walked three and struck out two.
The Gents took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning as junior left fielder Luke Royle (Dodge City, Kan.) doubled to score second baseman Connor Cudd (Lake Charles, La.). Centenary's offense erupted for four runs in the fifth inning, sparked by an RBI triple from first baseman Preston Ludwick (Pflugerville, Texas) which scored right fielder Cody Crowder (Shepherd, Texas). redshirt freshman Ben Bridges (Beckville, Texas) then followed with a triple of his own to score Crowder and make it 3-0.
Alek Arellano relieved Underwood and third baseman Chris Haggard (Lake Charles, La.) greeted him with the Gents' third-straight hit to score Bridges. Sophomore Shane Salzman (El Segundo, Calif.) pinch hit for Tyler Welch (Pineville, La.) and promptly delivered a single to left to plate Haggard and extend the Gents' lead to 5-0.
Ludwick and Bridges each struck again an inning later, delivering run-scoring singles to make the score the eventual margin of 7-0. Ludwick had a game-high three hits in Saturday's first game and Bridges and Haggard had two apiece with Bridges picking up two RBI. Haggard had three hits and an RBI in Friday's season-opening win.
Centenary's offense picked up where it left off in game two of the doubleheader as the Maroon and White led 7-0 after four innings to cruise to the 12-5 victory. Four Gents had multi-hit games and Crowder and Royle each had four RBI. Junior right-hander Andy Purpura (Bozeman, Mont.) started and picked up the win as he went 6.2 innings and allowed three runs (all unearned) on five hits and struck out four without issuing a walk.
Freshman Parker Primeaux (Lake Charles, La.) relieved Purpura and allowed three hits and two runs, both earned in two thirds of an inning and recorded a strikeout. Cudd went the final 1.2 innings and allowed just a hit. ETBU's Adrian Stover started and took the loss, allowing seven runs, all earned, and five hits in three innings of work. He walked two and did not record a strikeout. Five Tigers relievers combined to allow five runs and five hits over the final five innings.
The Gents next face Louisiana College in a non-conference game on Friday, Feb. 14 at 4 p.m. in Pineville. Centenary will then host Louisiana College a day later in a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 2 and 5 p.m. Centenary is on the road for eight games until returning home to play host to Trinity for a three-game series (Feb. 13-14) to open Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play.
A link to the complete 2020 schedule can be found here: www.gocentenary.com/sports/bsb/2019-20/schedule
Live stats and live video are available for all home games and admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic events. #GoCentenary #CTheOpportunity
