FULTON, Mo. -- Lindsey LeCuru (Jefferson City, Mo.) and
Caroline Sicht (Columbia, Mo.) each went a perfect 3 for 3 in the opener as the William Woods University softball team swept Missouri Baptist University, winning 3-2 in the opener before rolling through the nightcap 12-0 winners after five innings. The win locks WWU into no worse than a second-place finish in the American Midwest Conference standings as they finish the league slate with a 13-3 record.
LeCuru got the Owls on the board in the bottom of the first inning of the first game, leading off with single through the left side. After a sacrifice but from
Ilissa Facchini (Tulare, Calif.) and a grounder to second from
Kelsey Schulte (Honey Creek, Mo.) pushed LeCuru to third, Sicht looped a single to left-center to plate the first run of the game.
The Owls were able to add a second run in the third inning, as LeCuru tattooed a double off the top of the left-field fence that was held inside the park by a brisk breeze blowing in. Sicht would again score LeCuru with a single, this time a one-out shot up the middle. Unfortunately, the Owls stranded two runners to end the inning.
WWU added a third run in the fourth inning, as LeCuru added a second double to her perfect day, this time a two-out RBI shot to left, scoring
Ashley DePew (Highland, Ill.) from first.
In the bottom of the fifth, William Woods had the bases loaded, as Sicht opened with a one-out single,
Sam Parsons (Hallsville, Mo.) rung up a two-out single into shallow center and
Nicole Hamdorf (Grain Valley, Mo.) picked up a pinch-hit infield single, but the Owls couldn't push across a run.
Missouri Baptist finally ended the shutout bid in the top of the sixth, scoring a run on back-to-back two-out doubles, but
MacKenzie Bowden (Hartsburg, Mo.) closed down the inning by striking out Katie Payne.
The Spartans threatened again in the top of the seventh, with Miranda Romero lacing a triple just out of the reach of a diving
Mariah Danison (Auxvasse, Mo.), scoring on a two-out single by Corey Pitchford, but WWU was able to scratch out the win, as Bowden got Lindsay Benck to pop out to second to end the inning and picked up her 11th win of the season.
The Owls put the second game out of reach early, as
Kristy Pluchinski (Wright City, Mo.) led off the top of the second with a double to right-center to spark a four-run inning, with WWU chasing MBU's starter from the game in the top of the third as the Owls hung another seven runs on the board.
LeCuru scored an insurance run in the top of the fifth for WWU, and
Becca Schemmer (Huntsville, Mo.) moved to 8-3 on the year with the complete-game win, retiring the Spartans in order in the bottom of the frame, capped by a called strike three for the final out.
William Woods moves to 28-15 on the year and will wrap up the regular season on Saturday with a 11:30 a.m. doubleheader at McKendree University. The Owls will await word of their first-round opponent in the AMC Postseason Tournament. Currently in second, WWU will host the best-of-three series, opening with a doubleheader on April 27. First pitch time, as well as the Owls' opponent will be announced at a later date.
