SHREVEPORT, La. -- Sixth-ranked Texas Lutheran registered 8-5 and 8-7 road victories Sunday against Centenary College (La.) to complete a three-game conference series sweep at Shehee Stadium.

TLU posted its first-ever conference series win at Centenary and swept the Gents for the second time in a three-game series since two played as members of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. The first series sweep by TLU against the Gents came in 2014 at TLU's Katt-Isbel Field.

Entering this weekend's series, the Bulldogs were 1-5 against Centenary at SheHee Stadium in SCAC play.

With the three-game road sweep, the Bulldogs will take at the minimum a one-game lead (in the loss column) into the final two weeks of SCAC play. The Bulldogs close out SCAC play at home against Austin College and on the road against Schreiner University before heading into the SCAC Tournament in Cleburne, Texas.

TLU, the defending SCAC champion and 2018 national runner-up, now holds an overall record of 24-8 and a conference mark of 9-3 in 2019.

Centenary dropped to 16-20-1 overall and to 8-7 in the SCAC.

In the early game, Bulldog senior right-hander Nathan Malinovsky won his 32nd career game and tied the SCAC and TLU records for most career victories. Malinovsky now shares the SCAC record with Doug Garner of Millsaps and shares the TLU mark with Ron Churchman and Brad Orosey.

Malinovsky went the distance against the Gents on Sunday. He finished the game with six consecutive scoreless innings after allowing five runs over the first three innings. Malinovsky struck out five, walked two, and allowed 11 hits.

Thomas Varner (Austin/Bowie) and Cameron Wilson (Katy/Morton Ranch) each drove in a pair of runs, and Austin Colon (La Grange/La Grange) and Blade Strzelczyk (San Antonio/East Central) each had three hits. Strzelczyk and Nick Gardoni (Salinas, Calif./Palma) each scored two runs.

In the late game, TLU jumped out to a 5-0 lead with a five-run first. Spencer Brandt (Yoakum/Yoakum) drove in two runs in the first with a single to left field.

Centenary rallied to tie the game and then take a 7-6 lead in the sixth.

But the Bulldogs staged a rally of their own, scoring twice in the eighth. Colon tied the game in the eighth with an RBI single that scored Strzelczyk. Varner followed Colon's single with a single to left center. Julian Clavon (Houston/Westbury) scored the winning run.

Centenary put a runner on base in the ninth with one out, but Drew Waller (Bellville/Bellville) coaxed the Gents into a game-ending line drive double play.

Joe Burch (Geronimo/Navarro) collected his first collegiate win with 1-1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Waller notched his third save with two innings of hitless relief. He struck out two.

The Bulldogs return to Seguin for a three-game conference series this Thursday and Friday against Austin College. Thursday's game at Katt-Isbel Field starts at 7 p.m. Friday's doubleheader is set for a 1 p.m. start. TLU will recognize its seniors on the field between the games of Friday's doubleheader.