TLU Baseball Splits Saturday Doubleheader, Avoids Sweep by Centenary

SHREVEPORT, LA -- Texas Lutheran Baseball salvaged the series against Centenary College - splitting a Saturday doubleheader at Shehee Stadium, with the Bulldogs dropping game one, 5-4, before taking game two, 6-3, in 10 innings to avoid the sweep in their conference opening series.

The Bulldogs (8-11, 1-2 SCAC) and Gents (9-5, 2-1 SCAC) were tied 4-4 going into the bottom of the eighth inning before the game winning run scored on a one out Gents RBI single.

Freshman Mason Goudeau (Liberty/Liberty) started in left field and went 2-for-4 with three RBI.

Blade Strzelczyk (San Antonio/East Central) started and pitched 7.1 innings, with five runs (two earned) allowed on 10 hits and would earn the losing decision.

Centenary opened the scoring with two runs in the fourth inning.

Texas Lutheran grabbed a 4-2 lead with four runs in the top of the eighth inning, using an RBI single from Aric Vasquez (San Antonio/Brandeis) and a bases clearing, three RBI double from Mason Goudeau.

The Gents came back in the bottom of the inning with three runs of their own to retake the lead for good.

In game two, sophomore third baseman Niko Garcia (Houston/Langham Creek) was the hero with his two RBI single through the left side scoring the winning runs Saturday evening as the Bulldogs defeated the Gents 6-3 in 10 innings.

Zach Longshore (Richmond/Fort Bend Travis) earned the win in relief, tossing 1.1 innings, to improve to 2-2 on the year.

Texas Lutheran was held scoreless with just three hits entering the eighth inning before cracking out two runs on two hits to tie the game at two. Tyler Post (San Antonio/Johnson), who leads the SCAC with 23 RBIs so far this season, got the scoring started for TLU with a sacrifice fly to cut the Gents lead in half before a Mason Goudeau RBI single knotted the game at two.

Texas Lutheran rolled the momentum into the ninth as Blake Cappadona (Mont Belvieu/Barbers Hill) drove in Payton Dahl (Round Rock/Cedar Ridge) on an RBI double to take a 3-2 lead. Centenary tied the game at three in the bottom of the ninth and threatened to walk it off before Zach Longshore entered from the Bulldogs bullpen to end the Gents rally - ending the inning with runners at second and third.

In the 10th, Mason Goudeau singled with two outs to get the Bulldogs started before TLU eventually loaded the bases for Niko Garcia - who would single through the left side scoring Goudeau and Alec Sanchez (Waxahachie/Waxahachie). Randy Huerta (New Braunfels/New Braunfels) would add an insurance run for TLU scoring on a Centenary balk to extend the TLU lead to 6-3 before Longshore would shut the door in the bottom of the inning.

The Bulldogs return home for a five-game homestand starting with a midweek contest against Mary Hardin-Baylor on Tuesday, March 21 at 6 PM. All streaming and live stats links can be found on tlubulldogs.com.