Shreveport – Freshman RHP Aidan Reichek (Bellaire, Texas) threw a no-hitter in game two of Centenary's Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader on Saturday against the University of Dallas Crusaders, an 18-0 run-rule victory, at Shehee Stadium.
The Diamond Gents (10-6, 3-2 SCAC) fell 11-4 in game one to the Crusaders (11-10, 2-3 SCAC) and took their frustrations out in the second game, scoring a season high in runs on 18 hits as the rookie Reicheck shined. The no-hitter is the first thrown since Matthew Devillier held Austin College hitless on April 20, 2018 at home. Reichek and Devillier's no-hitters are the only two in the division III era (2012-present) in program history.
Game 1 Recap: Dallas 11 Centenary 4
The game was scoreless through two innings and then the Crusaders pushed across a run in the top of the third. The Diamond Gents responded with three in the bottom of the fourth to take a 3-1 lead.
Dallas then erupted for six runs in the top of the sixth to reclaim the lead at 7-3. Centenary scored once in the bottom of the seventh, but Dallas responded with four in the top of the eighth to pull away and win for the first time in nine tries against Centenary.
The Crusaders finished with 12 hits, drew seven walks, and stole a pair of bases. Dallas left 10 on base, struck out eight times, and made two errors. The Diamond Gents had seven hits and struggled to get on base, leaving just two men on all game, did not draw a walk, made one error, and struck out five times.
All-American sophomore LHP Tyler Herrera (Spring, Texas) started for Centenary and took the loss to fall to 3-2 as he went five innings and allowed five runs, all earned, on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts. He faced 24 batters and threw 88 pitches (55 strikes). Five relievers followed him, covering the final four innings and allowed six runs, five earned, on six hits with five walks and three K's.
Dallas starter Dylan Krause (4-0) started and remained unbeaten this season as he went seven innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits with no walks and four K's. He faced 27 batters and threw 96 pitches (66 strikes). Graeme Williams and Seth Medley each pitched an inning in relief and held the Diamond Gents scoreless on just one hit with one K.
2B Tyler Darnell gave Dallas a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the third, but a trio of RBI singles in the fourth by junior 2B Jobee Boone (Opelousas, La.), freshman LF Lenny Forth (Flower Mound, Texas), and junior C Austyn Benoit (Welsh, La.) put Centenary ahead 3-1.
Herrera then ran into trouble in the sixth as he allowed a single, double, and an RBI fielder's choice. Another single loaded the bases with one out and senior RHP Parker Primeaux (Lake Charles, La.) was summoned from the bullpen. He walked C Teagan Mansfield to force in a run and tie the game but then settled down and struck out SS Peyton Garbett looking for the first out. CF Paxton Huff, though, put the Crusaders ahead 4-3 with an RBI single to left and 3B Jake Amoroso followed with a two-run double to extend the lead to 6-3. Amoroso and Huff then advanced to second and third on a balk and Darnell had an infield single to make it 7-3.
Freshman RHP Jacob Broussard (Houston, Texas) entered the game and allowed a stolen base and hit a batter, but escaped further trouble when he got RF Brett Castillo to ground into an inning-ending double play. Sophomore Zachery Van Gorkom (Shreveport, La.) drove in a run with an RBI single in the seventh, but a pair of RBI hits and a wild pitch in the eighth brought in Dallas' final three runs of the games as it was too much to overcome.
Forth and Benoit each had two hits for Centenary, and Boone and freshman RF Carson Livesay (Lafayette, La.) each had one. Amoroso, Darnell, Huff, and LF Austin Birkhoff all had multi-hit games and combined for nine RBI.
Game 2 Recap: Centenary 18 Dallas 0 (7 innings)
Reichek did not need much support based on the zone he was in, but nevertheless his offense also shined as the Maroon and White scored a season-high in runs and posted a season-high 18 hits. Centenary scored in every inning and scored two or more runs in five of its six at-bats. Just hours after banging out 12 hits against six Centenary pitchers, Dallas' bats went cold.
Centenary overwhelmed Dallas in the laugher with dominant pitching, six stolen bases, and did not issue a walk. The Crusaders committed five errors, struck out seven times, and left three on base. The Diamond Gents drew six walks, struck out five times, left 10 on base, and committed one error.
Adrian Montenegro (0-3) started for the Crusaders and lasted just 1.2 innings as he allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits with a walk and a strikeout. He faced 12 batters and threw 38 pitches (25 strikes). Five Crusaders relievers followed and did not fare any better, combining to allow 15 runs (13 earned) and 13 hits with five walks and four K's.
Reichek was as efficient as he was dominant, needing just 70 pitches in his seven innings of work. He struck out the final two batters of the second, one in the fourth, the first two batters of the fifth, then one in the sixth and one in the seventh. Sean Hannigan pinch hit with two outs in the seventh and flew out to center and after the ball found its way safely into the glove of senior CF Gary Hewitt (Cedar Park, Texas), the mad dash from the Diamond Gents' dugout began and the celebration was on.
Seven Centenary players tallied multi-hit games and the top of the order (Livesay-Hewitt-Boone-Forth) combined to finish a sensational 7-16 with three RBI and eight runs scored. Van Gorkom also had a big game as he finished 2-3 with two RBI, three runs scored and a walk and senior SS Noah Koehmstedt (San Diego, Calif.) went 3-4 with four RBI, three runs scored, and a stolen base.
Junior C Jake Gonce (Katy, Texas) etched his name in the history books as he caught the no-hitter and added a pair or RBI and a walk. Freshman 3B Clay Menard (Berwick, La.) was 3-5 with an RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base, and freshman 1B Collin Pitts (Lufkin, Texas) finished 2-5 with four RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base.
Centenary stole six bases, marking the fourth time this season that the Maroon and White have stolen six or more, highlighted by a season-best seven on Feb. 11 in a 14-3 win over Ozarks. The Diamond Gents collected 10 or more hits in a game for the 10th time and have done so in seven of their last eight games.
The series concludes on Sunday with the rubber game set for 11 a.m. NOTE: the original time for first pitch was 1 p.m. but has been moved up due to the possibility of rain on Sunday afternoon.
See the complete Gents' season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/bsb/2022-23/schedule
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