Strother Deals, Bulldogs Take Centenary Series Opener

SHREVEPORT, LA -- No. 4 Texas Lutheran took the opener of this weekend's three-game series with the Centenary College Ladies with a 1-0 win at Centenary Softball Complex.

Senior Ashlyn Strother (Seabrook/Clear Falls) threw a two-hit shutout, striking out eight and allowing one walk to the Ladies.

Caelee Clark (Montgomery/Lake Creek) scored the decisive run in the third inning to give the Bulldogs (16-2, 4-0 SCAC) their 16th victory of the year.

Strother took the win in the late night pitchers' duel, holding the Ladies hitless through 4.1 innings.

In the third, Clark singled up the middle and stole second base, her 28th stolen base of the season. Linzee Leal (Corpus Christi/Mary Carroll) would reach on a fielder's choice as an error by the Centenary first baseman allowed Clark to go second to home.

Strother carried the Bulldogs the rest of the way - stranding base runners in the fifth and sixth innings before shutting the door with a 1-2-3 seventh inning to secure her eighth win of the season.

Laura Hernandez (Missouri City/Ridge Point) paced the Bulldogs at the plate with a 2-for-4 performance.

The Bulldogs pitching staff holds a 1.46 ERA (Top 15 in NCAA Division-III) and has 97 strikeouts on the season, allowing just 28 runs (24 earned). The staff holds a NCAA Division-III leading eight shutouts.

The 4th-ranked Bulldogs close the series versus Centenary with a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Centenary Softball Complex at 1 & 3 PM. All streaming and stat links can be found on tlubulldogs.com.