Ladies Edged 3-2 By Tornados In SCAC Tournament
The No. 6 seed Centenary softball team was edged 3-2 by the No. 3 seed Concordia University Tornados on Saturday afternoon at Edwards Field on the campus of McMurry University.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
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0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
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Abilene, Texas – The No. 6 seed Centenary softball team was edged 3-2 by the No. 3 seed Concordia University Tornados on Saturday afternoon in its opening game of the 2026 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship at Edwards Field on the campus of McMurry University.
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL: https://scacsports.prestosports.com/tournament/spring/softball/26championships/index
The Ladies (16-23) will play either #1 seed Texas Lutheran University or #5 seed University of the Ozarks on Sunday at 10 AM in an elimination game.
Centenary finished with six hits, one walk, six strikeouts, did not commit and error, and left six runners on base while Concordia had seven hits, walked twice, struck out only once, committed one error and left five on base.
Freshman P Haydyn Schexnayder (Egan, La.) started in the circle for the Ladies and suffered the loss to fall to 4-6. She went five innings and allowed three runs, all earned, on six hits with two BB and one K. She faced 23 batters and threw 64 pitches – 41 for strikes.
Senior Emma Crow (Krotz Springs, La.) came in for Schexnayder in the bottom of the sixth and faced three batters. She gave up one hit but the Ladies turned an inning-ending double play.
Kylie Kirk pitched a complete game for the Tornados as she allowed just two runs, one earned, and six this with one BB and six K. She faced 29 batters and threw 81 total pitches with 56 for strikes.
Following two scoreless frames, the Ladies struck first with a single run in the top of third inning as senior 1B Abigail Hodgson (Florence, Texas) drove home junior CF Noelle Sandmann (Huntsville, Texas) with an RBI single to make it 1-0.
Sandmann singled with two outs and junior 2B Hilary Pillaro (Centerville, La.) singled to put runners at first and second and Hodgson came through with a clutch hit. Senior 3B Morgan Dawson (Natchitoches, La.) then lined out to end the inning.
The Tornados threatened in the bottom of the third inning as the first two batters singled and Katie Bethke grounded out to move the runners to second and third. Malarie Mican then laid down a bunt in front of the plate which Dawson fielded and threw to senior SS Catherine Stokes (Natchitoches, La.) covering third to tag out Kamryn Kothman. Kylie Denaro flew out to left field as the Ladies escaped the jam.
Centenary added to its lead in the fifth as senior LF Laine Sullivan (Prairieville, La.) led off with a single and after Sandmann struck out, Pillaro grounded out and Sullivan moved to second with two outs. Then, Hodgson reached on an error and Sullivan scored to make it 2-0.
The Tornados then scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth, all with two outs, to take a 3-2 lead. Kylie Denaro had an RBI single to get Concordia on the board and Kirk had a two-run double to give the Tornados the lead. Concordia threatened again in the sixth but Schexnayder got Christian Everett to ground into a double play to end the inning. Sullivan drew a one-out walk in the top of the seventh and Sandmann grounded out to move Sullivan, the potential tying run, to second. But Pillaro lined out to second to end the game.
Stokes led the Ladies by going 2-3 at the plate and Sandmann, Pillaro, and Hodgson each had one hit. Sullivan was 1-2 with a run scored and a BB. Kirk was 1-3 with two RBI for the Tornados, Kothman went 2-2 with a BB, and Denaro was 1-3 with an RBI and a run. Molly Olivarez went 1-2 with a BB and Bethke and Everett each had one hit.
See the complete Ladies' season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/sball/2025-26/schedule
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