Shreveport– The Centenary baseball team completed a three-game series sweep over the Schreiner University Mountaineers on Sunday in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play with a 5-4 victory on Senior Day at Shehee Stadium.
The Diamond Gents (16-11, 8-6 SCAC) have won a season-high four games in a row and completed their first series sweep of the season. The Mountaineers fell to 15-16 and 4-11 in SCAC play with the loss. Centenary opened the series with a 6-2 win on Friday night and followed that with a 5-2 victory on Saturday. Centenary improved to 13-6 at home this season and is 46-14 on its home field since the beginning of the 2021 season.
Sunday's win was also significant and historic as Centenary head coach Mike Diaz became the all-time winningest coach in program history with his 292nd win with the Maroon and White. Diaz, currently in his 13th season, is now 292-207-1, and has passed former HC Ed McCann (1999-2010).
Senior RHP Parker Primeaux (Lake Charles, La.) started and picked up the win for Centenary to remain perfect on the season. Primeaux (5-0) went 7.2 innings and allowed four runs, one earned, and seven hits with three walks and one strikeout. He threw 134 pitches (81) strikes and faced 37 batters, hitting a pair. Primeaux, who earned the save in Saturday's win, has now worked seven or more innings in five starts this season.
Sidney Moore (0-1) started for Schreiner and suffered the loss as he allowed four runs, three earned, but no hits in one inning. He walked three and did not strike out a batter, while hitting one. He faced seven batters and threw 31 pitches (14 strikes). Three relievers followed him and combined to allow one unearned run and four hits with five BB and three K's. Schreiner pitchers hit three batters in the game. The Mountaineers also committed three errors, left 10 on base, and struck out twice compared to three walks.
Centenary scored four runs in the first and added a single run in the second to take a 5-0 lead. Schreiner got three in the third and one in the fifth but that is all the scoring for either team for the rest of the game.
The Diamond Gents drew eight walks, only struck out three times, left nine on base, and also made three errors. Centenary finished with only four hits, but its four-run first inning held up in the one-run win. Schreiner had seven hits and cut the deficit to 5-4 after five innings but was held scoreless in the final four.
Freshman LF Carson Livesay (Lafayette, La.) walked to lead of the first for Centenary and promptly stole second. Senior CF Gary Hewitt (Cedar Park, Texas) walked and Moore hit junior 2B Jobee Boone (Opelousas, La.) to load the bases with no outs. Sophomore RF Cade LaBruyere (Iowa, La.) then walked to force in a run and make it 1-0.
Freshman 1B Collin Pitts (Lufkin, Texas) then reached base on an error by CF Aidan Warren which allowed Hewitt to score. Freshman DH Lenny Forth (Flower Mound, Texas) then brought Boone home on a sacrifice fly for a 3-0 lead. LaBruyere stole third base and senior SS Noah Koehmstedt (San Diego, Calif.) drove him in with a SAC fly to right. Centenary added its fifth and final run of the game when a throwing error by 2B Adam Sanchez allowed freshman 3B Clay Menard (Berwick, La.) to score.
Centenary made a pair of errors in the top of the third and the Mountaineers cashed in by scoring three runs. Sanchez had an RBI single and a pair of RBI groundouts plated the other two runs. Warren homered for Schreiner leading off the fifth for the final run of the game. Primeaux hit Sanchez with a pitch to put runners at first and second with two outs in the eight and Diaz called on freshman LHP Cody Myers (Friendswood, Texas) from the bullpen. Myers struck out LF Tyler Juarez swinging to end the threat.
Freshman RHP Jacob Broussard (Houston, Texas) earned his second save of the season as he pitched a perfect ninth inning, getting a groundout and a pair of fly outs to end the game and seal the win. The Diamond Gents' bullpen was stingy this weekend as they pitched 6.1 innings and allowed just one earned run and two hits with two walks and eight K's. All three starting pitchers in the series - All-American sophomore LHP Tyler Herrera (Spring, Texas), freshman RHP Aidan Reichek (Bellaire, Texas), and Primeaux went at least six innings. Primeaux picked up a win and a pair of saves in the series.
Hewitt had two of Centenary's four hits on Sunday, and Forth, Koehmstedt, and LaBruyere had the RBI. Livesay, LaBruyere, and Menard each drew two walks and Centenary stole four bases in the game as Koehmstedt, LaBruyere, Hewitt, and Livesay each swiped a bag. Sanchez finished 1-4 with an RBI for the Mountaineers, Juarez was 1-4 with an RBI and a walk, and Warren finished 1-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Centenary and Schreiner entered the weekend battling for a berth into next month's SCAC Baseball Championship (May 5-7) in Cleburne, Texas. The Diamond Gents, the defending tournament champions, are currently fourth in the league standings. The top four teams at the end of the regular season qualify for the event.
The Diamond Gents will take a break from conference play on Tuesday as they face East Texas Baptist University (24-8) in a non-conference contest at home set for 6 p.m. The Tigers, members of the American Southwest Conference, are currently receiving votes in the current D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 poll. Tuesday will be the Diamond Gents' final home game of the season.
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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