Seguin, Texas - The Centenary softball team fell 6-4 in the third and final game of its three-game Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference series as the Ladies were swept this weekend by the nationally-ranked Texas Lutheran Bulldogs at Ed Kruse Stadium – Morck Softball Field.
The Ladies (13-19, 8-7 SCAC) dropped a pair of games in a doubleheader on Friday by scores of 8-0 in five innings in game one and 9-1 in six innings in game two. The Bulldogs, ranked fourth in the country in this week's NFCA Division III Top 25 Softball Coaches' Poll, improved to 23-2 and 14-1 in SCAC play and extended their winning streak to 15 and are 10-0 at home this season.
Centenary led 2-0 after an inning and broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth with a pair of runs to take a 4-2 lead, but the Bulldogs rallied and scored four in the sixth to record the comeback victory.
Sophomore P Riley Myers (Shreveport, La.) started in the circle for the Ladies and received a no-decision as she pitched five innings and allowed three runs, all earned, and 10 hits with three walks and four strikeouts. She faced 28 batters and threw 118 pitches – 71 for strikes.
Sophomore P Abigail Hodgson (Georgetown, Texas) relieved Myers and suffered the loss as she worked the final inning and allowed three runs, all earned, and three hits with one BB and one K. She faced seven batters and threw 31 pitches (17 strikes).
Ashlyn Strother started for the Bulldogs and also received a no-decision as she went five innings and allowed four runs, all earned, and eight hits with no BB and eight K's. She faced 24 batters and threw 102 pitches (72 strikes). Ainsley Davis (2-0) picked up the win in relief as she pitched the final two innings and held the Ladies scoreless as she did not allow a hit and walked a pair and recorded two K's. Davis faced eight batters and threw 36 pitches – 21 for strikes.
The Ladies finished with eight hits, drew two walks, struck out 10 times, left seven on base, and did not commit an error. The Bulldogs had 13 hits, walked four times, struck out five times, left 11 on base, and made two errors. TLU stole nine bases in the game and finished with 33 in the series.
Centenary jumped ahead 2-0 in the top of the first as senior RF Mackenzie Cox (Alexandria, La.) led off with a triple and sophomore SS Catherine Stokes (Natchitoches, La.) followed with a single to put runners at the corners. Senior 1B Isabelle Dominguez (Newark, Calif.) then stepped to the plate and squared top bunt as Stokes took a lead off of first and when TLU C Taylor Vannett's errant throw went past 2B Caelee Clark and into center field for an error, Cox raced home for a 1-0 lead and Stokes swiped second base. Dominguez struck out swinging and junior DP Emma Shepherd (Athens, La.) flew out for the second out. Sophomore C Jaeden Thrasher (Forney, Texas) then came through with a clutch single two left-center to score Stokes and make it 2-0. Senior CF Mallory Stout (Trinity, Texas) flew out to end the inning but the Ladies did their early damage.
The Bulldogs tied the game with single runs in the second and third innings as they drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the second and then tied the game with a two-out RBI single in the third. After a scoreless fourth inning in which each team left two runners on, the Ladies regained the lead in the fifth. Cox reached on a bunt single and went to third on a single by Stokes. Dominguez moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt and Shepherd ripped a two-run single to make it 4-2. Strother, though, escaped further trouble as she retired Thrasher and Stout to end the inning.
TLU had two on with two outs in the fifth but Myers struck out PH Abby Touchet looking to end the inning as the Bulldogs stranded 10 runners through the first five frames. Myers walked Clark to start the sixth and was replaced by Hodgson. Clark then stole second and CF Annie Kay drew a walk and stole second and Clark stole third. 1B Kylee Jack flew out and DP Tatum Seith struck out for the second out. PH Serena Gonzalez then stepped to the plate and delivered a two-run single up the middle to tie the game. 3B Reagan Hillis tripled to score pinch-runner Riley Futrell to make it 5-4. RF Madison Johnson followed with an RBI single to score Hillis for a 6-4 lead. Hodgson retired pinch-hitter Kourtney Bellinger to fly out to end the inning. Davis retired the Ladies in order in the seventh to seal the win and the series sweep.
Cox, who recorded her 16th multi-hit game of the season, finished 3-3 with a double and a triple and two runs scored and had a walk, Stokes was 2-3 with two runs scored, Thrasher finished 2-4 with an RBI, and Shepherd was 1-3 with the two-run single. Johnson was 4-4 with two RBI and a run scored to lead the TLU offense, Hillis was 3-4 with an RBI, a stolen base, and two runs scored, and Clark finished 2-3 with a walk, a run scored, and five stolen bases. Kay was 1-2 with an RBI, a run scored, two walks, and two stolen bases and Gonzalez was 1-1 with the game-tying, two-run single.
The Ladies remain on the road next weekend to face the University of St. Thomas Celts in Houston for a three-game conference series.
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.
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