Conway, Ark. - The Centenary softball team is set for a busy weekend as the Ladies are scheduled to play four non-conference games in the 2022 Warrior Spring Fling hosted by Hendrix College at Warrior Softball Field.
The Ladies (1-1) will face host Hendrix (3-1) on Saturday at 11 a.m. in the opening game of the tournament. Centenary then closes the day with a game versus Westminster (Mo.) at 4 p.m. The Ladies will play Westminster again on Sunday at 11 a.m. and Hendrix for a second time at 4 p.m. Hendrix and Westminster play each other on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and again on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
Live stats and live video are available for all six games of the tournament at the link below:
Stats and Video: https://hendrixwarriors.com/sports/2013/12/12/SB_1212134237.aspx
The Ladies opened their 2022 regular season with a non-conference doubleheader split on Feb. 5 against the Millsaps College Majors in Jackson, Miss. Centenary took game one by a score of 3-2 and then fell 8-6 in the second game. Centenary collected eight hits in each game of the day and senior C Erin Lewis (Leesville, La.) had a big day as she went 4-6 at the plate with a homer, two doubles, two RBI, four runs scored, and a walk.
Senior P Ashley Hunter (Benton, La.) started the opener for the Ladies and picked up the win as she went four innings and allowed just an earned run and six hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Hunter (1-0) faced 20 batters and threw 78 pitches, 45 for strikes. Freshman P Katelyn Moss (Olive Branch, Miss.) made her collegiate debut and earned the save as she pitched the final three innings in relief of Hunter and allowed just three hits and one earned run with a pair of walks and two K's. Moss faced 15 batters and threw 54 total pitches with 31 strikes and hit a batter.
Sophomore right fielder Mackenzie Cox (Alexandria, La.) matched Lewis with two hits in the game as she finished 2-4 and stole two bases from the leadoff spot. Cox, a First Team All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference selection last season as a freshman, recorded the 12th multi-hit game of her young career. Lewis was 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Senior 2B Jaymee Wilkinson (Brazoria, Texas) was 0-3 in game one but put the Ladies on top early as she delivered a sacrifice fly in the top of the third inning. Junior LF Kaylea Patridge (Las Vegas, Nev.) was 1-4 with a run scored, junior CF Mallory Stout (Trinity, Texas) went 1-3 with an RBI double, freshman DH Viviana Rivero (Redondo Beach, Calif.) was 1-3 in her collegiate debut, and freshman SS Brooke Sandefur (Baton Rouge, La.) was 1-3 and scored a run in her debut.
Wilkinson delivered a one-out SAC fly in the third and Lewis doubled home Patridge for a 2-0 Centenary lead, and then Hunter worked out of a jam in the bottom half to leave the bases loaded and preserve the lead. Hunter did the same the following inning as she got a fly out to leave the bases loaded again.
Lewis doubled with one out in the top of the sixth and Stout came through with a clutch two-out double of her own to score Lewis to add to the Ladies' lead. The Majors were set down easily in the bottom half and Cox was stranded in scoring position after a bunt single and stolen base in the top of the seventh as the Ladies took their 3-1 lead to the bottom of the seventh.
The first two batters for Millsaps reached to start the seventh to put the pressure on Centenary. Moss, though, was not fazed as she got a pop up for the first out and a K for out number two. Moss, though, walked a batter and then hit the next batter to bring in the second run and make it a 3-2 game with the bases still loaded. Moss, though, calmly got a pop out for out number three to secure the dramatic win for the Ladies.
The Ladies wasted no time in taking the lead in the second game of the DH as they put three runs on the board in the top of the first. Rivero, playing RF, produced a one-out RBI single, freshman 1B Kaitlyn Dickey (Church Point, La.) drew a bases-loaded walk, and freshman 3B Maggie Jenkins (La Mesa, Calif.) picked up an RBI on a groundout.
The Majors got one run back in the bottom half with an unearned run but left the bases loaded. Millsaps then added a second run in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI single but the Ladies extended their lead in the top of the third with two runs. Jenkins scored on a passed ball and freshman DH Alyssa Akers (Maurice, La.) grounded out to bring home a run for a 5-2 lead.
The Majors scored once in the third and added a pair in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game and then went ahead 6-5 in the fifth on a home run and then added two runs in the bottom of the sixth and held on for the 8-6 win. Lewis belted a leadoff home run in the top of the seventh to start a rally but Akers went down swinging with the tying runs at second and third.
The Ladies finished game two with eight hits and drew six walks but struck out nine times and left nine on base. The Majors had 15 hits and did not strike out all game but did leave 10 on base and 22 for the day. Lewis and Rivero combined to go 4-7 with two RBI and four runs scored. Lewis scored three runs herself and walked once. Cox went 1-4 with another stolen base, Patridge was 1-4 with a run scored, and Dickey and Stout combined to go 2-6 with two walks and an RBI. Jenkins walked twice along with her RBI.
Freshman P Anna Scarbock (Alexandria, La.) started for the Ladies and suffered the loss as she was touched for eight runs (five earned) and 15 hits in 5.2 innings. Scarbock (0-1) walked just one and did not record a strikeout. She faced 36 batters and threw 96 pitches, 69 for strikes. Moss came on in relief and got the final out of the sixth inning.
Lewis is the team leader in hits (4), runs (4), RBI (2), doubles (2), and HR (1) through the first two games of the season. She is batting a sizzling .667 with an OBP of .715 and slugging over 1.000. Cox is hitting .375 with three hits and three stolen bases, and Rivero also has three hits with a run scored and an RBI and is hitting .429. Stout is batting .333 with two hits, a double, a walk, and an RBI. Hunter is the team leader in ERA (1.75) while Moss is second at 2.10 as both have struck out two batters.
The Ladies will open their home schedule on Tuesday, March 1 for a DH versus Arlington Baptist University at the Centenary Softball Complex. The teams will then take a day off and face off again for another DH on March 3. Games are scheduled for 5 and 7 p.m. both days.
See the Ladies' complete season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/sball/2021-22/schedule
Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests but be advised of current COVID-19 protocols for fans. Updated COVID-19 information is now available via www.GoCentenary.com.
Live stats and live video stream are available for all Centenary home contests. Please note that all dates and times are subject to change.
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