SHREVEPORT, La. - Did the Gents ever respond Saturday, April 8.
A day after falling out of first place in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference for the first time this season, the Maroon and White used a pair of complete-game pitching performances and never trailed on the day to reclaim the top spot in the SCAC as Centenary (26-6, 12-3 SCAC) took game one, 4-2, before completing the sweep of Texas Lutheran (20-12, 11-4 SCAC) with a 7-4 win in the nightcap.
With his longest outing of his collegiate career in game one - and his first nine-inning complete game - sophomore Matthew Devillier (9-0) tied the school record for single-season wins. He joins the likes of Brian Tarbet (1988), Jeremy Hadley (1994), Jake Haney (1999), Justin Kraft (2008), and junior teammate Kaleb Kirk last season.
Deviller only threw 87 pitches in the game (59 for strikes) and retired the final 14 batters after allowing two runs in the fifth.
After scoring no runs last night, the Gents took advantage of a costly error to score two runs in the bottom of the first. After senior Aaron Quintanilla reached thanks to a one-out error, freshman Cody Crowder was hit by a pitch. Both runners moved into scoring position on a groundout, and junior Chris Zapata singled on the first pitch he saw to score a pair. Centenary went up 3-0 when senior Michael Schimpf doubled to lead off the third and scored on classmate Scott Dwyer's single to left field.
After Texas Lutheran cut the game one lead to 3-2, Zapata drove in his third run of the ballgame with a single in the seventh. Zapata finished the game 2-for-4, while Schimpf went 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Devillier allowed seven hits and two runs while striking out three, including a pair in the ninth inning.
Texas Lutheran scored both runs in the fifth, but never pulled closer than one. Tyler Cauley doubled to right center to leadoff the inning, while Eric Rabinowitz singled to put Bulldogs at the corners. A sacrifice fly and an RBI double by Rayce Gatlin cut the Gents lead to one.
Dylan Drgac (6-1) took the loss for Texas Lutheran, allowing six hits and four runs (two earned) in 6.1 innings of work.
In his first start of the season, junior Cole Lavergne (3-0) went the distance in game two. He allowed 12 hits and four runs with four strikeouts in nine innings.
The Gents jumped on the Bulldogs early when Quintanilla smashed his fourth home run of the season to left center in the first inning. In the second, Centenary's aggressive base running plated a pair of runs. With two outs, Lavergne and stole second. Sophomore Cameron Guin poked the ball through the right side for the RBI and a hustle double. However, with Guin sliding into second, the throw got away from the Bulldogs' fielder to allow Guin to hit third and try to score. The catcher cut off the throw in front of the plate as Guin crossed home plate to put the Maroon and White up three.
After Texas Lutheran scored one in the fourth and two in the sixth to tie the game, Centenary responded with one each in the sixth and seventh and two more in the eighth. Junior Ian Graham provided an RBI single in the sixth and a bases loaded wild pitch in the seventh put the Gents up a pair.
In the eighth, Zapata singled to right to begin the frame. Graham followed with a sharp hit to the shortstop, who threw off balance to first. Alertly, Zapata headed to third to put runners on the corners with no outs. With one out, Lavergne drove in a run on a groundout despite the infielders playing in, and Guin added the two-out RBI hit.
Lavergne allowed a single tally in the ninth, but a groundout with the tying run at the plate ended the game.
Graham led Centenary from the plate by going 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
Texas Lutheran scored two in the sixth to tie the game. Matthew Lemon led off the frame with a triple to right center and scored on Riley Schaefer's double. A sacrifice bunt and a Cauley single tied the game. An infield hit and a fielder's choice put runners on the corner with two down, but the runner at first got in a rundown. Cauley tried to score from third, but Crowder threw home and Zapata applied the tag to end the Texas Lutheran threat.
Lemon went 3-for-5 with two runs scored in the game for the visitors. Cade Killingsworth (3-2) took the loss, allowing five hits and four runs (three earned) in five innings of work.
#6 Centenary returns to action for the last of three regular season meetings with #3 UT Tyler Tuesday night, April 11, at Shehee Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
