Shreveport - The Centenary baseball team earned a doubleheader split with the Alma College Scots on Saturday, falling 6-5 and responding with an 11-2 victory to wrap up a three-game non-conference weekend series at Shehee Stadium.
The Diamond Gents improved to 4-3 on the season while the Scots, who won the series opener on Friday, 6-5, are now 4-7-1.
Game one recap: Alma 6 Centenary 5
Centenary tied its single-game season high in hits with 13, but left nine on base, committed one error, and struck out six times. The Scots jumped out to a 4-1 lead after two innings and finished with 12 hits and drew three walks. Alma left six on base, struck out eight times, and committed three errors, but was able to muster just enough offense to win its second-straight 6-5 decision.
The Diamond Gents cut their deficit to 4-2 after four innings but the Scots added two in the top of the fifth to extend their lead. The Maroon and White scored two in the seventh and one in the eighth, but Alma got a double play to end the game.
Freshman LHP Cody Myers (Friendswood, Texas) started on the mound for Centenary and went 1.1 innings and allowed four runs, all earned, on seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts. He faced 12 batters and threw 41 pitches, 28 for strikes. Freshman RHP Aiden Reicheck (Bellaire, Texas) came on in relief and pitched well, going 4.1 innings and allowing just two runs (one earned) on two hits with a walk and four K's. He faced 15 batters and threw 72 pitches (46 strikes). Senior RHP Christian Diaz (Houston, Texas) was the third Centenary pitcher and he went 1.2 innings and allowed two hits with a walk and a strikeout and hit a batter. Senior RHP Parker Primeaux (Lake Charles, La.) was the Diamond Gents' fourth and final pitcher as he went the final 1.2 innings and allowed one hit. Myers was charged with the loss to fall to 1-1.
The Scots got consecutive two-out RBI singles in the first inning by LF Cole Grunwald and 3B Kyler Warren to take a 2-0 lead. SS Kevin Tuttle had an RBI single in the second and 1B Avery Carnicom had an RBI double to make it 4-0 Scots. Junior SS Noah Koehmstedt (San Diego, Calif.) tripled with two outs in the bottom of the second and freshman 3B Clay Menard (Berwick, La.) singled him home to get Centenary on the board. Junior C Austyn Benoit (Welsh, La.) singled with two outs in the fourth and Koehmtedt doubled him in but was out trying to get to third, but the Scots' lead was cut in half at 4-2.
CF Cameron Bleasdale reached on an error to begin the fifth for the Scots and Carnicom launched a two-run home run to left off of Reicheck to make it 6-2 Alma. Carnicom then walked slowly out of the batters' box to admire his homer and flipped his bat in the air and was ejected by the home plate umpire.
Centenary loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom half of the fifth but Freshman LF Lenny Forth (Flower Mound, Texas) grounded out to end the threat. Forth, though, hit a ball to Tuttle with two outs in the seventh which he misplayed and two runs came across to cut the Scots' lead to 6-4. Another error by Tuttle allowed the fifth run to score in the bottom of the eighth but freshman RF Carson Livesay (Lafayette, La.) struck out to end the frame.
Chase Balhoff came in for the ninth inning and junior 2B Jobee Boone (Opelousas, La.) greeted him with a single. Balhoff, though, got sophomore DH Cade LaBruyere (Iowa, La.) to fly out for the first out. Boone stole second to move the potential tying run into scoring position, but Forth lined to right field and Boone was doubled off at second to end the game.
Tyler Johnson started and got the win for the Scots to improve to 1-2. He pitched seven innings and was tagged for 12 hits but only four runs (two earned) with a walk and five strikeouts. He faced 33 batters, hitting one, and threw 110 pitches, 73 for strikes. Davin Reif relieved him and went an inning, allowing a hit and had one K before Balhoff came in to record his second save.
Boone finished 3-5 with a double and a stolen base to lead the Centenary offense. LaBruyere, Livesay, Koehmstedt, and senior CF Gary Hewitt (Cedar Park, Texas) each had two hits and Benoit and Menard each had one. Carnicom, before his ejection, was 3-4 with three RBI and two runs scored and the Scots got two hits each from Tuttle, Bleasdale, Grunwald, and Warren.
Game two recap: Centenary 11 Alma 2
The Diamond Gents were held to a season-low four hits, but thanks to shoddy defense by the Scots, they scored the second-most runs in a game all season to split the doubleheader.
Centenary exploded for six runs in its first at-bat and added five more in the second and that is all the Maroon and White needed to cruise to the blowout win. The Scots finally got on the scoreboard with a pair in the seventh but it was too little too late.
Alma committed five errors, left 10 on base, and struck out eight times. The Scots had eight hits and drew six walks but could not manage any timely hits. Centenary played error-free ball and drew eight walks. The Diamond Gents only struck out five times and left seven men on.
Hewitt and Boone reached on errors in the first and two bases-loaded walks, a hit by pitch, a passed ball, a fielder's choice, and an RBI single accounted for Centenary's six runs. Another sloppy inning in the second featuring three more errors by the Scots made it a laugher after two. Bleasdale helped the Scots avoid a shutout with a two-run single with two outs in the seventh.
Freshman RHP Jacob Broussard (Houston, Texas) started for the Diamond Gents and went the first three innings, allowing two hits and striking out a pair. Six relievers followed with the third, senior RHP Peyton Thibodeaux (Lake Arthur, La.) getting the win as he went an inning and allowed just one hit. Senior LHP Collier Cloinger (Bossier City, La.) pitched the ninth and was impressive as he allowed a hit and one walk but struck out the side to finish off the win.
Zac Olesuk (0-1) took the loss for the Scots as he allowed six runs, but none earned, and one hit with four walks and a K in 2/3 of an inning. Six Scots followed him and allowed five unearned runs on three hits with four walks and four K's.
Centenary will hit the road on Tuesday to face LeTourneau University for a non-conference contest set for 6 p.m. at Conrad-Vernon Field in Longview, Texas.
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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