SHREVEPORT, La. - The Gents offense kicked it into high gear as the Maroon and White won their 12th-straight game as #11 Centenary (19-3, 6-0 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference) took game one, 14-4 (eight innings) before taking the nightcap against Schreiner (8-15, 0-3 SCAC) 10-0 (seven innings) Saturday afternoon, March 18.
The visitors actually took a 1-0 lead after the first half inning of game one, but Centenary scored a pair in the bottom of the first and four more in the second to take the lead for good. Down by one, freshman Zane Wilkinson singled and moved to third on senior Aaron Quintanilla's double. Both runners scored on freshman Cody Crowder's 0-2 base hit. In the second with one out, sophomore Andrew Russell singled up the middle, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on sophomore Cameron Guin's single. A key error put a pair of runners in scoring position before Quintanilla was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Crowder hit a sacrifice fly and senior Michael Schimpf came through with a two-out, two-RBI double.
Centenary finished the game with three sacrifice flies.
Up 10-4 in the bottom of the eighth, the Maroon and White pushed across four runs to end the game. Wilkinson tripled to begin the inning and scored on a one-out error. A double by Schimpf put a pair on for the SCAC home run leader. Junior Chris Zapata answered with a towering blast to left center to end the ballgame, his seventh round-tripper of the season.
Schimpf and Zapata both went 3-for-5 on the day with a pair of runs scored. Zapata drove in three with the home run, while Schimpf added two RBI's. Crowder went 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
Sophomore Matthew Devillier (6-0) allowed three hits and four runs (three earned) with six walks and six strikeouts in 6.1 innings of work.
For Schreiner in game one, Reece Hohhertz hit a two-out, RBI double in the first and Osman Quintana added a solo home run in the fifth.
Caleb Allen (2-4) took the loss for the Mountaineers, allowing nine runs (six earned) and 11 hits in six innings of work.
Game two looked to be a pitcher's dual through the top of the third, but Centenary exploded for four runs on five hits in the third. Guin walked, was sacrificed to second, and moved to third on Quintanilla's perfectly-placed bunt down between the pitcher and the third-base line. Crowder, Schimpf, and Zapata all followed with run-producing singles that scored the runner from second. Junior Cole Lavergne capped the inning with a two-out RBI single.
Meanwhile, junior Jackie Allen (2-2) threw a complete game, seven-inning gem by allowing only four hits and one walk while striking out eight. He set the tone early by striking out the side in the first. The only real threat to Allen came when Schreiner put runners at second and third with two outs in the fifth. An apparent passed ball looked as if it might score the Mountaineers first run, but Zapata pounced on the ball and threw to Allen covering home for the out.
Offensively, Crowder went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI's. Schimpf added hits in both at-bats with two runs scored and a pair of RBI's.
Centenary added four more in the fourth when Wilkinson was hit by a pitch, Quintanilla singled, and Crowder drove in a pair with his first of two triples on the day. Crowder tripled and scored on Schimpf's base knock in the sixth.
Crowder scored in the fourth on a wild pitch while junior Ian Graham added an RBI base hit.
Centenary walked off in game two when Lavergne singled to begin the seventh, moved to third on two wild pitches, and scored on Guin's RBI single through the left side.
It will be a massive midweek battle when 11th-ranked Centenary makes the trip west on I-20 to take on the fourth-ranked UT Tyler Patriots on Tuesday, March 21. First pitch in Tyler, Texas, is set for 6 p.m.
