Shreveport– The Centenary baseball team continued its recent impressive offensive output as the Diamond Gents cruised to a 17-7 victory over the Millsaps College Majors in a non-conference contest on Wednesday evening at a chilly Shehee Stadium.
The Diamond Gents (10-8) won their season-high fourth-straight game after a three-game series sweep over Occidental College in Los Angeles over the weekend. Millsaps fell to 11-6 with the loss. Centenary was back home for the first time in three weeks after going 3-4 on its seven-game road trip to the west coast. The Maroon and White improved to 9-4 all-time against the Majors as the teams were meeting for the first time since the 2019 season.
The Diamond Gents, now 6-3 at home this season and winners of four-straight on their home field, are 26-6 in their last 32 home games dating back to the beginning of last season. Centenary has scored 10 or more runs in a game this season seven times, and 13 or more an impressive six times.
Centenary pounded Millsaps pitching for 17 hits on Wednesday, marking the 13th time that the Maroon and White have had 10 or more hits in game and at least 13 hits eight times. The Diamond Gents have had 10 or more hits in a game in seven-straight games and in 10 of their last 11 games. The Diamond Gents' season high in hits is 18 which they had in their 16-7 win over Occidental last Saturday.
The Diamond Gents entered play Wednesday as one of the top offenses in the country as Centenary ranks number one in division III in hits and triples, fourth in runs, tied for fourth in doubles, and 16th in stolen bases. The Maroon and White finished with 17 runs scored, a triple, a double, and a season-best eight stolen bases on Wednesday.
Six Centenary players posted multi-hit performances on Wednesday five players collected at least two RBI. The Diamond Gents drew 11 walks to tie their season high, only struck out four times, and only left seven on base. Seven Centenary pitchers held the Majors to nine hits, only allowed three walks, and recorded six K's. Millsaps left seven on base and committed three errors.
Centenary took a 1-0 lead after an inning and added one in the third while the Majors got a single run in the fourth and two in the seventh. The Diamond Gents then scored two runs each in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings for a comfortable 9-3 lead, but Millsaps scored four times in the top of the eighth to cut the Centenary lead to 9-7. The Diamond Gents, though, closed strong as they sent 11 players to the plate and scored eight runs on six hits to extend their lead to the final 17-7 margin.
Freshman LHP Tyler Herrera (Spring, Texas) got the win for Centenary in relief to improve to 2-0 on the season. He pitched three innings and allowed two runs, both earned, on two hits with a walk and three K's. He faced 13 batters and threw 47 pitches, 28 for strikes. Junior LHP Collier Cloinger (Bossier City, La.) made his third start of the season and went two clean innings with one K. He faxed six batters and threw 27 pitches, 19 for strikes. Five other Centenary relievers appeared in the game and Millsaps threw seven pitchers with starter Graham Harrison (1-2) taking the loss. He went two innings and allowed two runs, both earned, on four hits with three walks and one strikeout. Centenary roughed up the Majors' bullpen for six earned runs and 13 hits, eight walks, and a homer.
Senior C Ben Bridges (Beckville, Texas) continued his hot hitting as he finished 3-5 with a game-high four RBI, two runs scored, and a walk. He blasted a mammoth three-run home run into the parking lot beyond the left-center field wall in the bottom of the eighth for the final three runs of the game. Sophomore LF Austyn Benoit (Welsh, La.) was 3-3 with two RBI and a stolen base.
Senior DH Tyler Welch (Pineville, La.), junior 2B Cole Collins (Shreveport, La.), senior SS Brady Robinson (Jacksonville, Texas), and junior 3B Noah Koehmstedt (San Diego, Calif.) each had two hits. Welch also walked three times, scored two runs, had an RBI, and stole a base. Collins had an RBI triple, scored two runs, drew a walk, and stole two bases. Robinson drove in a pair and scored a run, and Koehmstedt had two RBI, scored a run, drew a walk, and stole a base.
Senior 1B Preston Ludwick (Pflugerville, Texas) was 1-3 with three walks, four runs scored, and a stolen base, and freshman OF Cade LaBruyere (Iowa, La.) was 1-3 with three RBI, two runs scored, and a walk. Senior RF Luke Royle (Dodge City, Kan.) was 0-3 but scored a run and drew a walk. Senior John Beaudion (Houston, Texas) was 1-2 and senior OF Gary Hewitt (Cedar Park, Texas) stole two bases and scored a run.
CF Jackson Ware and 1B Avery Brock each had two hits for the Majors and Ware and LF Sam Pitre each had two RBI. Ware and Brock each had a double and Pitre and SS Mason Little each stole a base.
Centenary has now scored a total of 61 runs and collected 59 hits in its last five home games after winning three of four games over the Alma College Scots Feb. 20-21. The Diamond Gents finished the series on a high note after recording consecutive run-rule blowouts, 13-3 and 12-2, both in seven innings to sweep a non-conference doubleheader.
Centenary will open conference play on the road this weekend as the Diamond Gents will face the Texas Lutheran Bulldogs in a three-game weekend series in Seguin, Texas. The series opener is set for Friday at 6 p.m. followed by a DH on Saturday at Noon and 3:30 p.m.
See the complete Diamond Gents' season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/bsb/2021-22/schedule
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