Memphis/Millington, Tenn. – The Centenary baseball team split a pair of non-conference games on Sunday, as the Diamond Gents were edged 3-2 by the Westfield State University Owls and rebounding with an 11-0 victory over the University of Chicago Maroons.
Centenary (7-4) played Westfield at Stauffer Field - Irwin Lainoff Stadium on the campus of Rhodes College in Memphis and played the University of Chicago at the USA Baseball Stadium in Millington, Tenn.
The Diamond Gents and Owls were supposed to play at the USA Baseball Stadium Complex in Millington, a Memphis suburb, but due to playing conditions related to weather, the game was moved to Rhodes. Centenary opened the weekend on Friday with a dominating 11-0 run-rule victory in seven innings over nationally-ranked LaGrange College to finish the weekend at 2-1.
Game one recap: Westfield State 3 Centenary 2
Centenary got off to a good start, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning, but that was all the Maroon and White could manage off of two Owls' pitchers.
Westfield State (2-2) scored single runs in the second and third inning to tie the game, and then added one in the fifth and held on for the win. The Diamond Gents finished with 10 hits but committed three errors and left eight on base. The Owls had seven hits, made one error, and left nine on.
Freshman RHP Aidan Reichek (Bellaire, Texas) started and went 2.1 innings as he allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts. He allowed one home run and hit one batter. He faced 14 batters and threw 58 pitches, 37 for strikes.
Freshman RHP Jacob Broussard (Houston, Texas) relieved Reicheck and was charged with the loss. He went 3.1 innings and allowed one unearned run on two hits with no walks and two K's. He faced 13 batters, hitting one, and threw 43 pitches (27 strikes). Freshman LHP Cody Myers (Friendswood, Texas) pitched the final 3.1 innings and was impressive as he yielded just a hit with a walk and five K's. He faced 11 batters and threw 34 pitches (24 strikes).
Luke Mathewson (1-0) started for the Owls and got the win as he went eight innings and allowed two runs, both earned, on nine hits with two walks and one K. He faced 34 batters and threw 93 pitches (62 strikes). Joe Espinola pitched the ninth and recorded his second save of the season as he allowed just one hit and needed just nine pitches to retire the Diamond Gents' three batters as he got a double play to end the game.
Sophomore DH Cade LaBruyere (Iowa, La.) reached on a fielder's choice which scored freshman RF Carson Livesay (Lafayette, La.) in the first and freshman LF Lenny Forth (Flower Mound, Texas) followed with an RBI single to score senior CF Gary Hewitt (Cedar Park, Texas) for a 2-0 lead. Livesay singled to begin the game and stole second base.
Hewitt reached on an infield single to put runners at the corners with no outs. Junior 2B Jobee Boone (Opelousas, La.) then drew a walk to load the bases and LaBruyere and Forth came through for the early lead.
The Owls scored their first run on a throwing error by Boone as Centenary attempted to turn a double play in the second and an inning later, 1B Nick Marshall homered off of Reicheck. Westfield's third run also scored on an error in the fifth as 2B Devin Slattery reached on a miscue by freshman 3B Clay Menard (Berwick, La.).
Menard singled with one out in the ninth to put the tying run on base, but Espinola got Livesay to ground into a double play to end the game. Hewitt, Forth, and Menard led the way on offense as the trio finished 6-10 with an RBI, a double, a run scored, and a walk. Livesay was 1-5 with a run scored and a stolen base, Boone went 1-3, junior C Austyn Benoit (Welsh, La.) was 1-4 and sophomore 1B McKenly McLaughlin (Georgetown, Texas) was also 1-4.
Marshall was 3-4 with his solo home run and LF Ethan Day went 2-4 with a stolen base. C Nolan Florence was 1-4 with a double and Slattery finished 1-4.
Game two recap: Centenary 11 University of Chicago 0
Centenary shook off a tough loss earlier in the day as the Diamond Gents took out their frustrations on the Maroons with a dominating shutout win.
The Diamond Gents totaled 13 hits and drew four walks while the Maroons managed just seven hits, left nine on base, and made three errors. Centenary struck out nine times, left eight on base, and made two errors. Chicago struck out five times and only drew two walks.
Senior RHP Parker Primeaux (Lake Charles, La.) picked up the win for Centenary as he tossed a shutout, going eight innings and allowing just seven hits with two walks and five K's. He hit one batter of the 33 he faced and threw 106 pitches (74 strikes). Senior RHP Christian Diaz (Houston, Texas) pitched the ninth and retired the Maroons in order on eight pitches.
Chicago starter Dylan White (0-1) was the loser as he allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits in 5.1 IP with three walks and six K's. He faced 27 batters, hit three, and threw 91 pitches – 54 for strikes. John Butka came in for him and went 2.2 innings and was hit hard, allowing six earned runs and six hits with a walk and a K. Kason Pelz pitched the ninth and allowed a hit and struck out a pair.
Centenary scored single runs in the first and second innings, added two in the fifth, and exploded for seven in the ninth. Livesay finished 3-4 with two RBI, three runs scored, a walk, and a double from the leadoff spot, and Hewitt and Forth each had two hits as they combined to go 4-9 with two runs, an RBI, and a walk. LaBruyere was 1-5 with an RBI, a run scored, and two stolen bases.
Boone finished 1-4 with two RBI and a run scored, and Benoit went 1-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Menard finished 0-2 but scored a run and drew two walks. McLaughlin was 1-1 with an RBI single in the ninth. Senior SS Noah Koehmstedt (San Diego, Calif.) went 1-3 with two runs scored and a stolen base and junior C Jake Gonce (Katy, Texas) was 1-3.
Chicago was led by C Will Benner's 3-4 performance and CF Truman Pierson went 2-4 with a stolen base. LF Braden Jirovec went 1-3 with a walk, 2B Jackson Slipcock went 1-4, and 3B Noah Nelson finished 0-2 but had a walk and a stolen base.
Centenary will return to action next weekend at home as the Diamond Gents face Texas Lutheran University on Friday night to begin conference play.
See the complete Gents' season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/bsb/2022-23/schedule
Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests. 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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