Marshall, Texas - The Centenary softball team was swept in a non-conference doubleheader on Sunday by the Illinois Wesleyan University Titans, 4-3 in eight innings and 4-0, at Taylor Field on the campus of East Texas Baptist University.
Due to unplayable conditions at the Centenary Softball Complex following heavy rain overnight in Shreveport, the DH was moved to Taylor Field's artificial playing surface. The Ladies, interestingly, will be back at the same venue on Wednesday when they face Eastern Connecticut State in a DH at 4 and 6 p.m.
The Ladies fell to 4-8 on the season while the Titans (4-4) began an eight-game road trip as part of the Jan Gentry Classic.
Game one recap: Illinois Wesleyan 4 Centenary 3 (8 inn.)
The game was scoreless for the first three and a half innings until senior CF Mallory Stout (Trinity, Texas) reached on an infield single to score freshman 2B Catherine Stokes (Natchitoches, La.) for a 1-0 Centenary lead.
The lead, however, would not last long as the Titans' C Claire Post and RF Priscilla Peek homered on consecutive pitches as the first two batters in the top of the fifth for a 2-1 lead. The Titans held their 2-1 advantage until Junior Isabelle Dominguez (Newark, Calif.) delivered a clutch two-out, pinch hit RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 2-2. Titans starter Nina Mardjetko, though, got junior LF Mackenzie Cox (Alexandria, La.) to foul out to end the inning and send the game to extra innings.
Sophomore P Anna Scarbrock (Alexandria, La.) started for the Ladies and went four innings and allowed two runs, both earned, on three hits with a walk and a strikeout. She allowed the back-to-back home runs and faced 17 batters, hitting one, and threw 38 pitches (23 strikes). Freshman Abigail Hodgson (Georgetown, Texas) came in for Scarbrock and pitched the final four innings and suffered the loss as she allowed two runs, none earned, on four hits with no walks and four K's. She suffered the loss to fall to 0-3 as she faced 17 batters and threw 53 pitches – 34 for strikes.
LF Megan Fontanetta was placed on second base to begin the top of the eighth and the Titans promptly took a 3-2 lead as she scored when DH Maya Black attempted a sacrifice bunt and reached first when sophomore 3B Alyssa Akers (Maurice, La.) committed a throwing error. 1B Ava Khoury singled up the middle to move Black to third. Illinois Wesleyan added another run when Khoury attempted to steal second and Black came home on the throw. Hodgson escaped further trouble when she retired the last two batters in the inning.
Cox was placed on second to begin the bottom of the eighth and was sacrificed to third by Stokes. She then scored on a groundout by senior SS Kaylea Patridge (Las Vegas, Nev.) to make it 4-3. Sophomore DP Viviana Rivero (Redondo Beach, Calif.) then singled and freshman C Jaeden Thrasher (Forney, Texas) reached on an error to put runners at the corners with only one out. Senior CF Mallory Stout (Trinity, Texas) walked to load the bases but Mardjetko got Akers to fly out to right to end the game.
Mardjetko (3-2) pitched a complete game for the Titans as she went eight innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits with three walks and six K's. She faced 34 batters and threw 86 pitches (57 strikes).
Stout went 2-2 with an RBI, a run scored, and two walks, Cox was 1-4 with a run scored and a stole base, and Stokes finished 1-3 with a run scored. Rivero was 1-3 with a walk and Dominguez had the clutch pinch-hit single. Khoury and Peek each had two hits to lead the Titans and Fontanetta, Post, and CF Madison Moore each had one hit.
The Titans finished with seven hits, one error, a walk, five K's, and left seven on base while the Ladies had six hits, three errors, three walks, six K's, and left eight on.
Game two recap: Illinois Wesleyan 4 Centenary 0
The Titans scored three times in the top of the second and added one in the fifth and held the Ladies hitless until the two outs in the sixth inning until Patridge singled for the lone Centenary hit of the game.
Natalie Grbczak (1-1) pitched a complete-game shutout for the Titans and allowed just the one hit with a walk and six K's. She faced 25 batters and hit a pair. Freshman P Alexis Roach (Pineville, La.) started and suffered the loss to fall to 0-2 as she went five innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits with two walks and no K's. Freshman Emma Crow (Krotz Springs, La.) came on in relief and pitched the final two innings and walked one and did not allow a run or a hit.
The Titans finished with seven hits and no errors, drew three walks and did not strike out while leaving five on base. The Ladies drew one walk, struck out six times, and left four on base. Khoury led the way at the plate for the Titans with a 2-3 effort with one RBI. Peek was 0-1 with an RBI and two walks and the Titans finished with four doubles and stole one base.
Centenary will return to Marshall on Wednesday for another non-conference doubleheader against the Eastern Connecticut Warriors set for 4 and 6 p.m. as part of the Jan Gentry Classic.
See the Ladies' complete season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/sball/2022-23/schedule
Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests and Live stats and live video stream are available for all home contests as well. Please note that all dates and times are subject to change.
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