Shreveport – The Centenary softball team was swept in a non-conference doubleheader on Saturday by the Millsaps College Majors, falling 5-2 in game one and 8-4 in game two at the Centenary Softball Complex.
The Ladies (4-10) aim to salvage the third and final game of the series on Sunday at Noon. Millsaps snapped a seven-game losing streak and improved to 5-7 as the Majors are 4-0 against the Ladies this season after a season-opening DH sweep on Feb. 9 in Jackson, Miss.
Game one recap: Millsaps 5 Centenary 2
Both starting pitchers went the distance but the Majors scored the final three runs of the game to break a 2-2 tie after four innings to claim the first half of the doubleheader.
Junior P Anna Scarbrock (Alexandria, La.) suffered the loss for the Ladies to fall to 2-4 as she allowed five runs, but just one earned, and seven hits in her seven innings of work with two walks and one strikeout. She faced 31 batters and threw 61 pitches – 38 for strikes.
Mya Skinner (1-1) got the win for the Majors as she allowed just two runs, both earned, and three hits in seven innings with no walks and four strikeouts. She faced 24 batters and threw 60 pitches (39 strikes).
Millsaps scored first with a pair of runs in the top of the second as LF Katie Norris reached on an error by sophomore IF Brooke Sandefur (Denham Springs, La.) to start the frame and 2B Allie Nolen sacrificed her to second. 3B Camille Black singled and stole second and Scarbrock's throwing error allowed Norris to score and move Black to third where she later scored on a passed ball to make it 2-0.
The Ladies scored a pair in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game as sophomore 2B Catherine Stokes (Natchitoches, La.) doubled home senior RF Mackenzie Cox (Alexandria, La.) and sophomore 3B Morgan Dawson (Natchitoches, La.) hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Stokes and tie the game. Cox reached on an infield single and stole second and Stokes roped a double to the gap in right-center. Sophomore C Jaeden Thrasher (Forney, Texas) flew out and Stokes went to third on a passed ball and then Dawson delivered the game-tying sac fly with two outs.
Millsaps regained the lead in the fifth with two runs as CF Molli Perry scored on an error by Stokes and 1B Kinsey Smith delivered an RBI groundout to make it 4-2. SS Kadence Cannon's RBI single in the seventh scored Perry for the fifth and final run of the game.
Centenary finished with just three hits and made three errors, did not draw a walk, struck out four times, and left one on base. Millsaps had seven hits, did not commit an error, walked twice, struck out just once, and left five on base. Cox singled and stole second base in the sixth but was stranded there as she was the only base runner for the Ladies in the final three innings.
Cox finished 203 with a run scored and two stolen bases, Stokes was 1-3 with an RBI and a run scored, and Dawson was 0-2 with her sac fly. Seven Millsaps players each had one hit, Cannon and Smith each had one RBI, and Perry and Powell each drew a walk.
Game two recap: Millsaps 8 Centenary 4
The Ladies took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as they pulled off a double steal with Cox coming home as Thrasher stole second. The lead, unfortunately, did not last long though as Allana Vasquez led off the top of the second with a solo home run to tie the game.
The Majors then added two more in the top of the third as Cannon doubled to score Perry and Black for a 3-1 lead. Centenary tied it at 3-3 with a pair of runs in the bottom half, scoring two unearned runs in what was a wild inning.
Cox singled to open the inning and Stokes lofted a deep fly ball to left that it appeared Norris was camped under to make the catch but it dropped just over her glove for a hit and Cox wisely held at second after hesitating assuming the catch would be made. Thrasher then stepped to the plate and hit a deep fly ball to CF that Perry dropped near the warning track as Cox scored and Stokes went to third on an errant throw home by Cannon on the relay back into the infield. Dawson then grounded into a double play but Stokes scored to tie the game at 3-3.
Millsaps scored three times in the fourth to take a 6-3 lead as Skinner, playing the DP position, had an RBI single, Perry's bunt single brought home a run, and Nolen scored on a double steal. The Ladies had two on in the bottom of the fourth but left them stranded and an RBI single in the fifth by Nolen scored Cannon to make it 7-3. Norris's RBI single in the seventh scored Cannon and extended the Millsaps lead to 8-3. Down 7-3 in the bottom of the fifth the Ladies had a chance to cut into the lead or tie it, but Vasquez retired senior CF Mallory Stout (Trinity, Texas) on a liner to right to end the inning and leave the bases loaded. Stout came back up in the seventh and had an RBI single with two outs to make it 8-4, but Cox flew out to end the game.
Vasquez (2-3) tossed a complete game and allowed 12 hits but just four runs of which two were earned with three walks and three strikeouts. She faced 37 batters, hit one, and threw 67 pitches – 38 for strikes.
Sophomore P Riley Myers (Shreveport, La.) started in the circle for the Ladies and took the loss to fall to 1-1. She went 3.1 innings and allowed six runs, four earned, and six hits with two walks and five strikeouts. She allowed the home run to Vasquez and faced 17 batters, throwing 34 pitches (22 strikes).
Sophomore P/UT Abigail Hodgson (Georgetown, Texas) pitched the final 3.2 innings and allowed two runs, both earned, on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts. She faced 18 batters and threw 68 pitches (41 strikes).
Each team had 12 hits and two errors. The Ladies drew three walks, struck out three times, and left 12 on base. The Majors walked four times, struck out eight times, and left five on base. Centenary stole three bases while the Majors did not steal a bag and were caught stealing twice.
Cox finished 2-3 with two runs scored, two walks, and a stolen base while freshman LF Janae Bland (Livingston, Texas) was 3-4 with a stolen base as she recorded her second multi-hit game of the season and the three hits are a season high for a single game. Senior 1B Isabelle Dominguez (Newark, Calif.) was 1-3 with a run scored and a walk and sophomore DP Emma Crow (Krotz Springs, La.) went 2-4. Stokes, Thrasher, Stout and Dawson were combined for four hits, one RBI and a run scored. Cannon finished 3-4 with two RBI and two runs scored for Millsaps and Black, Nolen, and Vasquez each had two hits.
See the complete Ladies' season schedule here: https://centenary.prestosports.com/sports/sball/2023-24/schedule
Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests. Live stats and live video stream are available for all Centenary home contests.
#GoCentenary #CTheOpportunity
