CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas-The Centenary softball team earned its first win of the season in a 5-4 victory over Southern University, before falling in its final game of the Islander Invitational to Boston College, 10-2 in five innings.
Game 1: Centenary 5, Southern 4
Junior pitcher Sara Dornelas (1-1) (6.2,9,2,2,0,7) fanned seven Southern batters and earned her first win of the season after tossing 6.2 innings.
Southern jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after four hits, one of which was a homerun through the first two innings.
Centenary stayed composed and responded in the third when senior Allison Shepperd reached on a fielder's choice after a freshman Callie Herrington walk to lead off the frame. Shepperd stole second, allowing freshman Rachel Conard to drive her in on a single up the middle to put the Ladies on board.
Sophomore Katie Matthews kept Centenary alive with a single through the left side, scoring freshman pinch runner Bailey Boggs as Dornelas helped her own cause with a RBI double down the right field line to tie the game at 3-3.
The Ladies garnered another run after sophomore Kalyn Harris drove in Boggs, who had reached on a fielder's choice to go up by one. Senior Haley Bassett provided Centenary with its fifth run on a single that scored freshman Kelsey Regan, who led off the inning with a pinch hit double.
Despite allowing three hits in the top of the seventh by Southern, the Ladies escaped the inning, leaving two runners on base to take their first win of the season.
Matthews led Centenary at the plate with a 2x4 effort, a run scored and an RBI. Bassett, Conard, Dornelas, and Harris each had a hit and an RBI, while Regan had a knock and scored the winning run.
Game 2: Boston College 10, Centenary 2 (5 innings)
Bassett and Shepperd each had a hit for the Ladies, but Boston College was consistent in plating runs in four of the five innings.
The Eagles picked up three runs in the top of the second on three hits, a walk and several wild pitches. They earned another run in the third on one hit, but Centenary pitchers struggled to find the strike zone as it fell down 4-0 after the third.
A three-run homerun by Boston College ignited a five-run fourth as the Eagles connected on five knocks to go up 9-0 before plating their 10th run in the top half of the fifth.
Centenary showed some life late in the game as the Ladies' Harris led off with a walk. With one out, Regan reached on an error, advancing Harris to second. After a Centenary strikeout, Bassett singled down the left field line, driving in the Ladies first run. Junior Caitlin Cavarra also reached on an Eagles error, plating the Ladies second run, however, Boston College was able to control the offensive threat by Centenary and close out the game in five.
Sophomore Regina Salvatore (1.0,4,4,4,1,0) suffered the loss after throwing the first inning, while allowing four runs on four hits. Dornelas (1.2,,2,1,1,0,0), Lauren Highsmith (1.1,3,4,4,3,2) and Courtney Avery (1.0,1,1,1,2,1) combined to pitch the final 4.0 innings, allowing six runs on six hits, while fanning three.
Centenary will be back in action on Tuesday when it travels to in-state Grambling for a 3:00 pm.
