By Joshua J. Darling, Sports Information Director
MILLINGTON, Tenn. – It would be a tale of two different games for No. 2/8 LaGrange (9-5, 0-0 CCS) as they were blanked 11-0 by Centenary (6-3, 0-0 SCAC) on Friday, March 10 and pummeled Westfield State (1-2, 0-0 MASCAC) 20-3 on Saturday, March 11 in NCAA Division III baseball action.
CENTENARY 11, LAGRANGE 0
The Gents took control early with three runs on two groundouts and a single in the bottom of the first and tacked on a fourth run on a Carson Livesay homer to left center the following inning to take a 4-0 lead. They would be held scoreless in the third but broke back out in the fourth, pounding out seven runs on five hits.
That explosion would be fueled by Gary Hewitt putting the ball in play down the left field line for an RBI and an error scoring a second run while Cade LaBruyere notched a RBI single to right. With the margin at 7-0, an error would load the bases and Austyn Benoit would put the game away with a grand slam over the left field fence. Centenary would then allow just two hits, both in the seventh, as they closed out the 11-0 victory.
Benoit would lead the way for the Gents with a 2-for-4 day that included a game-high four RBIs from his grand slam while Hewitt had two RBIs. LaBruyere was 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI and Livesay was 3-for-3 with three runs, a triple and an RBI on a homerun. Noah Koehmstedt and Lenny Forth each added an RBI and Tyler Herrera threw all seven innings, scattering four hits, walking one and striking out seven to move to 2-1.
The Panthers were held to just four hits with freshman catcher Curt Bonner (Cartersville, Ga.), junior outfielder Gabriel Pallo (Melbourne, Fla.), senior infielder Matt Eden (Orange Park, Fla.) and freshman second baseman Jackson McElvy (Kennesaw, Ga.) having one each. Senior Baley Coleman (Hiram, Ga.) allowed all 11 runs, 10 earned over four innings and falls to 1-2 on the year.
LAGRANGE 20, WESTFIELD STATE 3
LC scored early and often against the Owls, scoring three runs on two hits in the first before exploding for a whopping nine runs on five hits and a pair of errors in the second. In the first Eden drew a bases loaded walk and junior designated hitter Jared Aldridge (Carrollton, Ga.) followed with a two-RBI single to left.
Following a Nick Marshall homer to left in the top of the second senior third baseman Joe Ruth (Chiefland, Fla.) doubled home two, Pallo singled home another and an error made it 7-1. McElvy would use his speed to reach on an error for an eighth run and senior outfielder Rhett Mixon (Loganville, Ga.) ripped a two-RBI double. A sacrifice fly and another Ruth double then closed out the havoc, putting the margin at 12-1.
Junior second baseman Easton Willis (Valdosta, Ga.) doubled home a 13th run in the third before the bats cooled over the next two innings. It would not be a sign of things to come as another five hits – and seven runs – powered the Panthers to a 20-1 advantage. Bases loaded and no one out spelled disaster for the Owls as three singles, a walk and a double led that charge. Westfield would then add a pair of runs in the seventh to reach the final margin.
Westfield mustered just three hits and as many RBIs with Robison Guerrero Baez, Marshall and Butler accounting for the scoring. Ran Donahue lasted just the opening inning but allowed three runs to suffer the loss and fall to 0-1.
Mixon cranked three doubles as part of a perfect 5-for-5 day that saw him score four times and drive in four while Ruth was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, three runs, three RBIs and two walks. Aldridge finished at 2-for-2 with a double, three RBIs and three walks and Pallo was 2-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs. Junior pitcher Dalton Brooks (Sharpsburg, Ga.) rung up seven in his four innings, allowing just one run, one hit and one walk to move to 2-1.
UP NEXT
LaGrange is right back in action tomorrow, Sunday, March 12 as they take on Chicago. First pitch is slated for 12 p.m.