BATESVILLE, Ark. -- The William Woods University softball team posted a 2-2 record at the Lyon Invitational this weekend, recording wins over the host Scots and Lindenwood-University Belleville and battling hard in a pair of 5-4 losses to Ashford and preseason no. 4 Central Baptist.
Lindsey LeCuru (Jefferson City, Mo.) and
Ilissa Facchini (Tulake, Calif.) led the Owls on the weekend, with LeCuru batting .600 across four games and Facchini posting a .364 average with a team-high seven RBI.
The Owls opened the tournament in flying style on Friday, erupting for a six-run second inning en route to a 9-1 (6 inn.) win over Lyon.
Kelsey Schulte (Honey Creek, Mo.) struck out 10 Scots batters and allowed just one walk over 6.0 innings in the run-rule shortened contest, and aided her own cause with a three-RBI home run in the second.
In Friday's second game, WWU would be on the other end of a second-inning outburst, as Ashford posted four in the top half of the inning to take a 5-1 lead. The Owls battled back, answering in the bottom of the second and adding runs in both the fourth and fifth innings, but the comeback would fall just short in the bottom of the seventh as the Owls loaded the bases but couldn't push a tying run across.
MacKenzie Bowden (Hartsburg, Mo.) was solid in relief, hurling 5.0 shutout innings and allowing just one walk with eight strikeouts, but she couldn't pick up the decision.
William Woods spread the offense over multiple innings in Saturday's first game, scoring in all but the third and fourth en route to a 9-5 win over Lindenwood University-Belleville. Schulte picked up her second win of the weekend, coming on in relief for the Owls and closing the game with 2.2 scoreless innings. She allowed just one hit and struck out four of the eight batters she faced. Facchini and
Caroline Sicht (Columbia, Mo.) each had home runs for the Owls, with Facchini picking up a grand slam in the bottom of the second.
After scoring first but falling behind 1-4 to Central Baptist in Saturday's finale, the Owls pushed across three runs in the top of the fifth to tie the game at 4-4, but couldn't mount a second comeback after the Mustangs answered in the bottom of the fifth. Bowden went the distance for WWU in the loss, striking out nine and allowing just one walk.
The Owls will open the home portion of the slate on Friday, taking on Olivet Nazarene University at 11 a.m., with an afternoon game against Central Methodist University at 3 p.m.
