GEORGETOWN, Texas -- Home-standing Southwestern will play for the SCAC Softball Championship for the second consecutive season after defeating Centenary, 4-1, in Saturday's tournament nightcap at Taylor-Sanders Field. Official Website l Bracket l Postgame Interview

Southwestern won the conference title in 2013 by winning twice on the final day and the Pirates will have to do that again tomorrow as they face the tournament's last undefeated team, Texas Lutheran, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Centenary got off to a hot start, carrying their momentum for a 6-3 walk-off win over Dallas and a 9-5 win over Schreiner, and took the 1-0 lead in the top of the first.
• The Pirates answered in the bottom of the second with a two-out double by senior Taylor Curtis followed by a RBI single from sophomore Andrea Hern to tie it at one a piece. 
• Southwestern broke the 1-1 tie in the bottom of the sixth, Back-to-back singles from Sydney Scott and Celeste Silvas set the table for SCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year Grace Phelps who ripped a RBI single to push Southwestern ahead 2-1. The Pirates plated another run on a RBI single by sophomore Kaitlynn Ccopher.
• Southwestern got a strong pitching performance from Lindsey Longuet, who went the distance in the circle for the Pirates. The sophomore scattered three hits and allowed just one earned run while striking out five and walking two.
• During one stretch, Longuet retired 14 straight batters.

SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL STANDOUTS

• Sydney Scott: 2-3, 1 run
• Celeste Silvas: 1-3, 1 run
• Grace Phelps: 1-3, 1 run, 1 RBI
• Andrea Hern: 1-3, 1 RBI
• Lindsey Longuet: 7.0 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 5 K, 2 BB

CENTENARY COLLEGE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS

• Sydney Hurley: 1-3, 1 RBI
• Payton LeBlanc: 1-2, 1 SB
• Kelsey Ancelot: 0-1, 1 run, 1 SB
• Nichole Aldridge: 6.0 IP, 7 hits, 4 ER, 3 K, 0 BB

NOTABLES

• Longuet improved to 7-5 with the complete game victory.
• With the loss, Centenary has now finished third in the SCAC Tournament twice (2016 and 2018).
• This marks the third consecutive year that the host school has played for the SCAC championship. Trinity lost at home to Texas Lutheran in 2016 and TLU swept the tournament field last year on its home turf.
• Southwestern has won two SCAC softball championships - 2010 and 2013. In both of those tournaments, the Pirates had to win twice on Sunday to take home the crown. They'll have win twice tomorrow against Texas Lutheran if they want to make it 3-for-3.

UP NEXT

The Pirates (23-16) square off against Texas Lutheran in the championship game of the SCAC Softball Tournament with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. CT. Southwestern will need to defeat the Bulldogs twice to win its third SCAC title in program history. Centenary ends its season with a record of 20-22.