JOURNAL SPORTS
SEGUIN, Texas — The Centenary baseball team swept a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader on Friday against the nationally-ranked, league-leading Texas Lutheran University Bulldogs, winning the opener 5-4 in dramatic fashion and rallying from an early deficit to take the nightcap 10-6 at Katt-Isbel Field.
Centenary overcame a 4-2 deficit in its final two at-bats, then denied the Bulldogs a game-tying run on the last play of Game 1.
In the eighth inning, Ethan Hopkins knocked a two-run homer to tie it at 4.
The Gents plated the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning when they loaded the bases, and Noah Paulson was hit by a pitch.
Centenary held on with a defensive gem in the home half. The Diamond Gents pulled off a game-ending double play on a fly ball to left field along the foul line, and a throw from Bryce Bienvenu to catcher Jackson Burch to wipe out a TLU runner bidding to score the tying run at the plate.
In Game 2, Centenary rapped 13 hits and posted a seven-run sixth inning, then padded a one-run edge with three more in the top of the ninth. Bienvenu drove in three runs and Bunch had three hits and two RBI, whjile Blaine Birkelbach also posted three hits from the leadoff spot.
The Diamond Gents (15-15, 10-10 SCAC) and No. 20/24 Bulldogs (19-9, 14-6 SCAC) will conclude the series today at 1.
The Bulldogs, atop the conference standings, are ranked 20th in the latest D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 poll and 24th in the ABCA NCAA Division III Baseball Coaches Poll.