Centenary Slides Past Trinity Into SCAC Title Game
Centenary, after building a 6-0 lead only to have top-seeded Trinity battle back to tie the game in the top of the eighth, plated the walk-off run in dramatic fashion, propelling the second-seeded Gents to the championship round of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament Sunday afternoon at La Moderna Field.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Trinity (Tex.)
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 2 |
|
Centenary (La.)
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 2 |
CLEBURNE, Texas -- Centenary, after building a 6-0 lead only to have top-seeded Trinity battle back to tie the game in the top of the eighth, plated the walk-off run in dramatic fashion, propelling the second-seeded Gents to the championship round of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament Sunday afternoon at La Moderna Field. Official Website l Tournament Stats l Photo Gallery | Postgame Interview
For the second straight year, the conference was forced to push back the late Saturday elimination game to Sunday. This year, it was lightning in the area that forced the two teams off the field with Centenary leading 3-0 and still batting in the bottom of the first.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Gents pushed across three runs before the weather forced a postponement to Sunday as an RBI single by Alex Miller, an RBI groundout by Jobee Boone and an RBI single from Gage Morris jumpstarted Centenary before lightning closed out the evening.
- When play resumed, Trinity was able to get out of the first inning without any additional damage and Centenary led 3-0.
- Centenary starter Tyler Herrera worked around trouble throughout his 4.2 innings, scattering two hits and walking four but the cagey left-hander allowed no runs while striking out three.
- The Gents responded with another three-spot in the bottom of the fifth as Trinity's Joseph Chavana walked in two runs and Collin Pitts drove in a third on a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 6-0.
- Trinity, who had stranded seven runners through the first five innings, finally pushed a run across in the sixth, but the game turned in the seventh when the Tigers' Nicholas Lazzara hit his second home run of the tournament, this one a three-run blast, to pull Trinity within a pair at 6-4.
- A single by Kai Tinker plated the Tigers' fifth run in the eighth. Tinker moved to second on an error, then came around to score with heads-up baserunning to tie the game. Kaleb Woodward lashed a ground ball to the right side of the infield, where the second baseman made a diving stop. Tinker never stopped as he rounded third and headed home, and Centenary's throw home was up the line.
- Trinity had two runners on in the ninth, but the Gents escaped any damage, and headed to the bottom of the inning. Centenary's Austyn Benoit and Jobee Boone opened the inning with singles then a bunt single by the Gents' pinch-hitter Ben Berglund also resulted in a throwing error that brought in the winning run.
- Centenary's Cody Myers, who was the Gent's game one winner, entered the game in relief - just his third relief appearance of the season - to close out the game and pick up his league-leading 10th win of the season.
- Myers is just the eighth pitcher in conference history to win two games in the same SCAC Baseball Tournament.
CENTENARY COLLEGE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Jobee Boone: 2-4, 2 RBI
- Alex Miller: 2-5, 2 runs, 1 RBI, 1 SB
- Austyn Benoit: 2-5, 2 runs
- Gage Morris: 1-3, 2 RBI
- Tyler Herrera: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 K, 4 BB
- Cody Myers (WP): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 K, 1 BB
TRINITY UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Colt Harris: 3-4, 1 2B, 1 run
- Nicholas Lazzara: 1-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 run
- Kaleb Woodward: 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 run
- Kai Tinker: 1-5, 1 RBI, 1 run
- Jonathan Newman: 3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB
NOTABLES
- Trinity's Colt Harris extended his streak of consecutive hits to seven (four from yesterday's game against Southwestern and three more today) before striking out in the top of the ninth.
- Since 2014 the loser of game three (winner's bracket final), has rebounded to reach the championship round eight of 10 tournaments with Centenary accomplishing the feat at this year's event.
- Centenary improved to 7-10 all-time against Trinity in SCAC tournament play.
- Centenary has advanced to the championship game six times in their program's history in the SCAC, with two titles in 2017 and 2022.
- Trinity, the defending tournament champion, slips to 31-12 and will await word of a possible at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament when those announcements go out on Monday, May 13.
UP NEXT
Centenary improved to 21-18 with today's win, setting a rematch with Texas Lutheran in today's championship game. First pitch is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. CT. Centenary will need to defeat the Bulldogs twice to win its third SCAC tournament title in program history. This meeting will mark the second time Centenary and Texas Lutheran have squared off for the SCAC title with the Bulldogs emerging victorious to earn the 2018 championship.
