Georgetown, Texas- The No. 14 Centenary baseball team was swept by the Southwestern Pirates in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader on Saturday at The Rockwell Family Baseball Field, winning a pair of one-run decisions, 9-8 and 5-4, to complete the three-game series sweep.
The Gents (24-5, 9-3 SCAC) were finally cooled off by an opponent after entering the weekend riding a nation's best and program-record 18-game winning streak. The Pirates ended the Gents' stellar run on Friday night in the series opener, registering a 9-7 win. Centenary entered the series ranked No. 14 in the nation in the latest 2021 D3baseball.com/NCBWA poll. Southwestern upped its record to an even 12-12 and 9-3 in SCAC play.
Game one recap:
Centenary shook off Friday's disappointing loss by scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first to take an early lead. Senior 1B Preston Ludwick (Pflugerville, Texas) delivered an RBI double and fellow senior 2B Tyler Erickson (Houston, Texas) followed with an RBI groundout.
Southwestern, however, responded with three runs in the bottom of the second to take a 3-2 lead but the Gents came right back with two of their own in the top of the third to reclaim the lead at 4-3. Erickson tied the game with an RBI single and senior DH Tyler Welch (Alexandria, La.) plated a run with a groundout to put the Gents up by a run.
The game remained that way until the bottom of the ninth as Centenary starting pitcher, senior lefty Connor Lee (Sugarland, Texas) held the Pirates in check in one of his better starts of the season. Lee went a season-high eight innings and allowed three runs, all earned, on just six hits with two walks and a season-best eight strikeouts. He threw 122 pitches, 80 for strikes.
Sophomore RHP Parker Primeaux (Lake Charles, La.) followed Lee and suffered the loss to fall to 3-2 on the season. He allowed two runs, both earned, on three hits with a strikeout in 2/3 innings pitched.
Primeaux struck out the first batter he faced but then allowed back-to-back singles to DH Jake Harris and C Daniel Montgomery Jr., putting runners on the corners with just one out. He then retired LF Lance Kruse on a fly out as Montgomery Jr. tagged up and moved to second. 3B Landon Durdin then singled through the right-side scoring a pair and giving the Pirates a walk-off win.
Southwestern starter Benjamin Ludwig (4-1) pitched a complete game and allowed four runs, all earned, on six hits with four walks and five K's and threw a whopping 139 pitches.
Ludwick had two hits, two walks, an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored. Erickson went 1-4 with two RBI and senior RF Cody Crowder (Shepherd, Texas) drew two walks, scored a pair of runs and stole a base. Harris had a game-high three hits to lead the Southwestern offense and Durdin and Montgomery Jr. each added two hits.
Game two recap:
The second game of the day was a back and forth affair which featured 17 runs on 24 hits along with 11 pitchers and five errors, all by the Pirates, that unfortunately ended in another walk-off victory for Southwestern.
Centenary led 3-1 after two innings but then the Pirates scored six runs over the next three innings to lead 7-4 after five. The Gents scored two in the top of the sixth to cut the Pirates' lead to 7-6 and then scored a pair in the top of the ninth to reclaim the lead at 8-7.
In the bottom of the ninth, an RBI single by RF Ted Lobkowicz off of Primeaux (3-3) tied the game with one out and then CF Maxwell Mims was intentionally walked to load the bases. Harris was then hit by a pitch to force in the winning run.
Ludwick went 3-4 with an RBI, a run scored, and a walk. Junior SS Brady Robinson (Jacksonville, Texas) was 2-4 with a homer, three RBI and a run scored, and senior 3B Chris Haggard (Lake Charles, La.) was 1-5 with a pair of RBI and a run scored from the leadoff spot. The Gents drew seven walks in game two off of six Southwestern pitchers but left 11 men on base and struck out nine times.
Senior Conner Poche (Lutcher, La.) started and allowed three runs, all earned, on five hits in just 2.1 innings of work with three walks and a strikeout. Freshman Jacob Colby (Kingwood, Texas) followed him and pitched 2/3 of an inning and allowed three earned runs and two hits with a walk. After Joshua Gatewood faced three batters and allowed a hit, Welch became the Gents' fourth pitcher of the game and was solid in his appearance. He pitched a season-high 4.2 innings and allowed just one earned run while scattering five hits. He walked two and recorded a pair of K's.
Southwestern starter J.J. Slack pitched the first two innings and allowed three runs, two earned, and two hits with two walks and a strikeout. Five relievers followed him and the final pitcher of the afternoon, Trey Schwarz, earned the win to move to 2-1 on the season.
Despite the disappointing weekend, the Gents are still an impressive 33-9 in their last 42 games dating back to last season and are 10-4 on the road this season. Centenary now returns home to face St. Thomas (13-10, 2-9 SCAC) next weekend in a three-game series where the Gents are a perfect 13-0 this season and 16-1 in their last 17 games.
A link to the Gents' complete 2021 schedule can be found here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/bsb/2020-21/schedule
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