Softball Edged By McMurry 3-2 On Senior Day
The Centenary softball team was edged 3-2 in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference contest by the McMurry University War Hawks on Saturday in its final home game of the regular season on Senior Day at the Centenary Softball Complex.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
Shreveport – The Centenary softball team was edged 3-2 in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference contest by the McMurry University War Hawks on Saturday in its final home game of the regular season on Senior Day at the Centenary Softball Complex.
The Ladies (17-16, 12-11 SCAC) and War Hawks (13-13, 12-11 (SCAC) split a doubleheader on Friday evening with Centenary falling 10-7 in eight innings in game one and responding with an 11-3 run-rule victory in five innings in game two. The Ladies finish their home schedule with a 10-10 record and went 6-6 in league home contests.
Centenary honored its 2025 senior class after the game - UT Viviana Rivero (Redondo Beach, Calif.), IF Brooke Sandefur (Denham Springs, La.), P Anna Scarbrock (Alexandria, La.), UT Emma Shepherd (Athens, La.), and C/1B Abby Touchet (Shreveport, La.).
Saturday's game was scoreless until the Ladies struck for a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth inning as junior 2B Catherine Stokes (Natchitoches, La.), delivered a sacrifice fly to score Sandefur and make it 1-0. Touchet reached on an error by 3B Elaina Herrera and sophomore OF Noelle Sandmann (Huntsville, Texas) raced home to make it 2-0.
Sandefur started the inning with a perfect bunt single and Sandmann dropped down a bunt of her own and reached when Herrera threw wildly which allowed Sandefur to make it to third. Stokes then helped the Ladies cash in with her RBI flyout and after Rivero flew out, Sandmann went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Herrera's second error of the inning.
McMurry, though, responded with three runs in the top of the sixth to take a 3-2 lead. Shepherd, who started in the circle for the Ladies, hit 2B Jade Dickens with a pitch two start the inning. Then, after two quick outs, the War Hawks started their rally. C Maya Mongelli singled and Dicken went to third then RF Tristyn Barton singled through the right side to score Dickens and make it 2-1. LF Aliyah Tanguma then ripped a double to right field to score Barton and Mongelli and give the visitors a 3-2 lead. Shepherd retired SS Samantha Gonzales on a pop out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Ladies threatened to tie or take the lead with two outs. Freshman DP Taylor Crawford (Kingwood, Texas) went to second on a wild pitch after she had reached on a one-out single. Sandefur, after an outstanding at-bat in which she got down 0-2 and fouled off six pitches in a row, worked a walk to put runners at first and second. McMurry escaped trouble, though, when starting pitcher Mackenzie McClellan (3-1) got Sandmann to ground to third where Herrera stepped on the bag to force Crawford and end the inning.
Junior UT Emma Crow (Krotz Springs, La.) then relieved Shepherd as she made just her second appearance in the circle this season and first since February. Crow allowed a leadoff single and walked a batter, but worked around trouble and did not allow the War Hawks to score.
Stokes led off the seventh for the Ladies with a sharp lineout to left field and Rivero followed with a single to right and went to second on a wild pitch. Touchet then drew a walk to put two on with one out. Freshman SS Kaitlynn Alello (Denham Springs, La.) then came in the game to pinch hit for junior LF Laine Sullivan (Prairieville, La.).
Allelo worked the count to 2-2 and then lined a ball right to Dickens who snared it and threw to 1B Trista Brown to double off Touchet for the game-ending double play as the War Hawks escaped with the win and clinched the series.
The Ladies finished with six hits, four walks, four strikeouts, one stolen base, and left nine on base. Centenary committed one error and lined into a pair of double plays. The War Hawks also had six hits, drew four BB, struck out twice, made two errors, and left eight on base.
Shepherd suffered the loss as she fell to 8-6 on the season after allowing three runs, all earned, and five hits in six innings with three BB and two K's. Crow went an inning and allowed just one hit and a BB. McClellan went the distance for McMurry as she allowed two runs, none earned, on six hits with four BB and four K's in her seven innings of work.
Centenary and McMurry are now tied for fifth in the conference standings, 1.5 games ahead of Southwestern University. The top six teams in the standings at the conclusion of the regular season qualify for the SCAC Tournament.
The 2025 SCAC Softball Tournament, a double-elimination event, will be held May 2-4 on the campus of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. The Ladies have made eight-consecutive SCAC Tournament appearances.
Ladies' Remaining Schedule:
at Trinity (April 18-19)
at Schreiner (April 26-27)
Current SCAC Standings (with conference records):
1 Texas Lutheran 22-1
2 Trinity 20-4
3 St. Thomas 19-4
4 Concordia 16-7
T5 Centenary 12-11
T5 McMurry 12-11
7 Southwestern 11-13
8 Ozarks 5-19
9 Dallas 5-22
10 Schreiner 4-19
11 Austin College 3-18
See the complete Ladies' season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/sball/2024-25/schedule
#GoCentenary #CTheOpportunity
