SHREVEPORT, La. - The University of Dubuque baseball team hit the field for the first time in nearly a year on Thursday night, traveling down south to Centenary College. The Spartans would drop the season opener 13-6.

The Centenary Gents jumped on the Spartans early, plating four runs before the Spartans could record an out in the bottom of the first inning and five runs in the first inning total. The Gents would play small ball in the third to tack on another run, putting UD in a 6-0 hole through three innings.

The Spartan bats found a spark in the top of the fifth inning as Colton Pfeifer singled up the middle to begin the next inning and the following batter Zach McCoy drilled a double to right field to bring Pfiefer around for UD's first run of the game. McCoy would come around to score to hitters later with a Joe Unger RBI.

UD would give one of those two runs back in the bottom of the fifth, after which both teams remained scoreless until the eighth inning when the Spartans made their push for a comeback. UD's first five hitters in the top of the eighth would reach with three separate RBI singles from Max Snowden, Kellen Mitchell and Zach McCoy to pull the Spartans within one at 7-6. However, the Gents would once again answer the Spartans, this time with six runs in the bottom half of the inning to put an end to UD's comeback chances.

Eight different Spartans landed at least one base knock on Thursday night, with Parker Allen, Zach McCoy and Max Snowden each recording two hits.

The Spartans and Gents are right back at it again on Friday night with a 5 p.m. first pitch.