FULTON, Mo. -- The first inning was the key in both ends of the doubleheader for the William Woods University baseball team today, as the Owls allowed four runs in the first inning of the opening game en route to a 0-8 reversal before scoring five runs in the bottom of the first and riding a dominating performance from
Adam Brush (Ashland, Mo.) to run out 5-1 winners in the series finale.
The Owls struggled in the series opener, with starter
Sean Sanders (Oklahoma City, Okla.) getting chased from the game after just 0.2 innings, allowing four runs - two earned - to the Spartans.
After giving up three more runs in the top of the third, William Woods threatened in the bottom of the inning, but stranded two runners in scoring position.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Owls threatened, loading the bases with a leadoff single by
Blake Wilson (Cairo, Mo.), a one-out walk to
Kyle Switzer (Columbus, Ga.) and a base hit on a sacrifice bunt attempt by
Jacob Harrison (Fulton, Mo.). Unfortunately for the Owls, a hard-hit line drive by
Brian Carr (Phoenix, Ariz.) was snagged by the Spartan third baseman who was able to sprint to the bag, beating Wilson by half a step for the double play.
In the top of the sixth, Missouri Baptist added another insurance run, with the Owls unable to score in either the sixth or the seventh innings.
In the second game, the Owls rolled through the entire batting order in the bottom of the first, scoring five runs on five hits, taking advantage of a walk and a passed ball in the inning as well.
With the run support in place, reigning AMC Pitcher of the Week Brush closed the door on Missouri Baptist's hopes, striking out 13 batters in the complete game win. He scattered four hits in the game without allowing a walk.
The Owls move to 21-11 on the year and remain in a third-place tie with Park University with a 7-5 mark in AMC action. WWU takes a brief foray out of conference action on Tuesday as they visit Culver-Stockton College for a single nine-inning game at 4 p.m.
