SHREVEPORT, La. – In a wild senior day that featured timely hitting, great defensive plays and costly errors by the Pirates, the Gents never trailed as Centenary (23-7, 8-4 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference) took game one 7-3 and held on for a 12-7 win against Southwestern (11-21, 6-6 SCAC) in the nightcap.

The bats started off hot from the start in both games, as sophomore Chris Zapata tattooed a pitch to left field for his team-leading fourth home run of the season in the first inning of game one. Senior Michael Schimpf followed suit in game two, hitting a solo home run to the porch in left for his third home run of the season to lead off game two.

In game one tied at two in the top of the fifth, Centenary was the beneficiary of a huge call at the plate. With a runner on first, Will Cates doubled to left center. The Gents throw home trying to catch the lead runner was high, but the umpire ruled Austyn Laird interfered with the Zapata and was called out to end the frame.

Centenary answered with three in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead for good. Sophomore Cole Lavergne led off the frame with a double and senior Dakota Brown was hit by a pitch. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners up as Southwestern went to the bullpen. Centenary coach Mike Diaz countered with a pinch hitter, and with an 0-1 count, sophomore Nicholas Delaneuville singled to center to score the go-ahead run.

A groundout and Schimpf's RBI single put the Gents up three.

Sophomore Jackie Allen (5-1) picked up the win in game one, allowing seven hits and three runs in six innings of work. Brown picked up his second save of the year, allowing two hits and no runs in three innings of work.

Southwestern countered with a single tally in the seventh, but Centenary scored two big insurance runs thanks to a two-run single by Lavergne in the eighth. The Pirates had the tying run on deck with two outs in the ninth, but Brown forced Southwestern's best hitter into a fly out to end the first game.

Michael Platz (0-2) took the loss in relief for the visitors in game one, allowing two runs and two hits in 2.1 innings of work.

Things just got wild in game two.

After Schimpf's home run to start the second game, a key error and sacrifice flies by junior Aaron Quintanilla and Lavergne opened up a 3-0 lead. A single by sophomore Ian Graham, a stolen base, sacrifice bunt and a successful squeeze by junior Brooks Williams put the Gents up 4-0 after two.

Southwestern scored a run in the third, but Centenary blew the game open with four in the fourth. With the bases loaded and one out, freshman Colten Maples hit the third sacrifice fly for the Maroon and White in the game. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, and Zapata hit a flair to the opposite field on a 3-1 count to score a pair. However, a fielding error by the right fielder allowed Zapata to move to third and score on a Quintanilla single.

The top three hitters for the Gents in game two, Schimpf, Maples and Zapata, combined to go 9-for-13 with seven runs scored and five RBI's.

Southwestern cut the deficit to two on a two-run home run by Cates in the fifth and three runs in the sixth, but the visitors climbed no closer. Ethan Widoff hit his first triple of the season with a pair on in the sixth and scored on a comebacker to the mound that went off of Centenary sophomore starter Kaleb Kirk.

Ethan Luna led the Southwestern offense in game two, going 3-for-5 with an RBI. Kirk (7-3) picked up his conference-leading seventh win of the season, allowing 10 hits and six runs in 5.2 innings of work for the Gents. Jacob Kendra (1-4) took the loss for the visitors, allowing nine hits and eight runs (five earned) in 3.2 innings of work.

Southwestern had the tying run on base in the seventh against Brown, but a liner that Brown stabbed at and a pickoff of a pinch runner kept the Pirates at bay.

The Gents put the game on ice with another four-spot in the eighth. Williams and Schimpf singled to put men on the corners. A bunt single by Maples scored the first run, and a one-out single by Quintanilla plated the second. Lavergne doubled to make the score 11-6 and put a pair in scoring position, but a failed rundown allowed Quintanilla to score the 12th run of the game.

Southwestern scored a single tally off Lavergne in the ninth, but a leaping grab at the wall by freshman centerfielder Cameron Guin on Cates limited the damage.

All starters recorded a hit for the Gents, who finish the regular season home slate in 2016 with a 14-5 record. In 27 innings this weekend, the Centenary defense committed only one error.

Centenary returns to action Friday for a huge series at SCAC-leading Texas Lutheran. First pitch next Friday, April 15, is scheduled for 7 p.m.