Shreveport - The Centenary softball team swept a doubleheader over the University of Dallas Crusaders on Saturday as the Ladies opened Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play with a pair of walk-off wins at the Centenary Softball Complex.
The Ladies (6-5, 2-0 SCAC) earned a pair of one-run victories as they took game one by a score of 5-4 and won game two, 4-3. Dallas dropped to 4-11 and 0-5 in the SCAC. Freshman Taylor Mayo (Shreveport) delivered a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning in game one. Mayo went 3-4 with a run scored in the game.
Freshman Zoe Lanier (Hughes Springs, Texas) started in the circle for the Maroon and White and pitched six innings allowing seven hits and three runs, two earned, with one walk and six strikeouts. Sophomore Kirstyn Gomez (Deer Park, Texas) relieved Lanier and picked up the win to improve to 1-2 as she pitched the seventh inning, allowing one run and two hits with a pair of walks.
Liz Cordova (3-3, RBI) and Julie Duenas (2-3, two RBI, one run scored) led the Crusaders offense. Maggie Watts started and pitched four innings and allowed four runs, all earned, and nine hits with one walk and no strikeouts. Six Ladies had at least one hit and the centenary offense generated 10 hits against Dallas pitching. Karina Campo suffered the loss in relief of Watts as she went 2.1 innings and allowed Mayo's game-winning single and registered a walk and a strikeout.
Centenary jumped out to a 4-0 lead after an inning in game one. Junior catcher Erin Lewis (Leesville, La.) doubled in senior center fielder Haley Campbell (Erath, La.), Mayo then singled up the middle to score Lewis, and sophomore second baseman Jaymee Wilkinson (Brazoria, Texas) scored Lewis and Mayo with a two-run single.
Dallas scored a single run in the top of the second inning to cut the Ladies' lead to 4-1 and then scored a pair of runs in the fifth to make it a 4-3 game. Duenas delivered an RBI single in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 4-4 before Mayo delivered in the clutch in the bottom half of the inning with the game winner.
The Ladies trailed 3-2 entering the bottom half of the seventh in game two but scored a pair of runs to secure their second-straight one-run win. Dallas took a 1-0 lead after the top of the first and then the Ladies posted single runs in the second and third to tale a 2-1 lead. The Crusaders took the lead with two runs in the fifth, scoring both with two outs.
Campbell started the seventh inning with a leadoff walk and promptly stole second base. Shortstop Kaylea Patridge (Las Vegas, NV) followed with an RBI single to score Cambell and advanced to second on the throw. Lewis moved Patridge to third on a sacrifice bunt and then Mayo hit a game-winning sacrifice fly to center field to score the speedy Patridge.
Wilkinson led the way three hits and Lewis and Lanier each collected two hits. Cordova and Duenas were the stars on offense in game two like they were in game one as they combined for five hits. Lindsay Devlin started for the Crusaders and pitched three innings and allowed two runs, one earned, and five hits with one walk and no strikeouts. Campo was the loser in the game as she was in game one as she went the final 3.2 innings and allowed nine hits and four runs, three earned, with a pair of walks and four strikeouts.
Sophomore Ashley Hunter (Benton, La.) started and went just two innings allowing one run, which was earned, and three hits with one walk and one K. Gomez (2-2) relieved and picked up her second win of the day as she went five innings and allowed two runs, both earned, and six hits with one walk and one strikeout.
The three-game series concludes on Sunday with a game set for Noon. Live stats and live video will be available via www.gocentenary.com.
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