Whittier, Calif. – The Centenary baseball team split a non-conference doubleheader on Saturday versus the Whittier College Poets at Hugh B. Mendez Stadium.
The Gents (8-4) are 1-3 so far on their five game road trip in California and look to finish strong on Sunday as they finish up the trip versus the University of La Verne at 1 p.m. central (11 a.m. local). Centenary took game on by a score of 13-6 and then Whittier (3-8) responded with a walk-off 8-7 win in game two.
Centenary was up 8-0 after its first three plate appearances in game one highlighted by a five-run third. The Gents collected 11 total hits in the game led by a 2-5, 4 RBI performance by senior right fielder Cody Crowder (Shepherd, Texas). Crowder had a double and a triple, the 10th of his career which tied his with former teammate Aaron Quintanilla (2014-17) for the most triples in program history. Senior center fielder Bryce Kozeny (Frisco, Texas) and junior Preston Ludwick (Pflugerville, Texas) each also had two hits and an RBI and redshirt freshman Ben Bridges (Beckville, Texas) and junior Connor Cudd (Lake Charles, La.) each had two RBI.
Ludwick started on the mound for the Gents and got the win to improve to 2-1 on the season. He went six innings and allowed just two runs, both earned, on four hits and did not walk a batter while striking out eight. Junior Brock Yates (Bellaire, Texas) and Cudd relived Ludwick and pitched the final three innings. Devin Duran (0-2) took the loss for the Poets after allowing three runs, all earned, and four hits in just 1.2 innings of work. Five Whittier relievers saw action, allowing 10 runs on seven hits.
Junior left fielder Tyler Welch (Pineville, La.) scored Kozeny on an RBIU ground out to open the scoring for the Gents in the top of the first inning. Junior Tyler Erickson (Houston, Texas) had an RBI single in the second to make it 2-0 and a sacrifice bunt by Cudd made it 3-0. Cudd was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the third to make it a 4-0 game an Kozeny drew a bases-loaded walk later in the inning to make the score 5-0.
Crowder then delivered a bases-loaded three-run double to make it 8-0 Gents. Whittier responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the third to make it 8-2 but did not score again until a four-run seventh but by that time it was a comfortable 12-2 lead for the Maroon and White. The Poets committed four errors and left right men on base.
Game two began in a similar fashion as game one did for the Gents as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead after their first at-bat. Welch delivered a two-RBI double and Bridges scored Welch with an RBI single to left. The Poets got a run in the bottom of the first and then took the lead with a three-run second inning on a three-run home run by short stop Alexander Jelloian. Each team scored a run in the fourth inning and then the Gents got three in the fifth to make it a 7-5 game. Ludwick belted a tw-run home run scoring Crowder and Ben Bridges hit a sacrifice fly.
The Poets tied the game with a pair of runs in the eighth inning and then won it in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI single by pinch hitter Tanner Barnes. Junior left-hander Connor Lee (Sugar Land, Texas) started for the Gents and allowed seven runs (just one earned) on nine hits in 7.1 innings of work. He walked two and struck out six. Matthew Helguera picked up the win in relief for the Poets as he pitched the final inning as he was the final of five Whittier pitchers.
The Gents will face Louisiana College again in a makeup game on Monday, March 9 in Pineville (game originally scheduled for Feb. 14) and open SCAC play at home March 13-14 against Trinity for a three-game series.
A link to the complete 2020 schedule can be found here: www.gocentenary.com/sports/bsb/2019-20/schedule
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