SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The William Woods University baseball team picked up a series split against Benedictine University-Springfield. The Owls dropped the opening game of the doubleheader 6-12, hanging on to win the series finale 3-2.
Adam Brush (Ashland, Mo.) picked up the win for the Owls, with
Jon Hecht (Frohna, Mo.) taking the loss in the opener.
Derek Fletcher (Moberly, Mo.) hit a pair of home runs - one in each game - on the afternoon.
The Owls opened the scoring in the top of the first inning with one run, but the Bulldogs equalized in the bottom of the first and scored in each of the first five innings to close out the game.
In the nightcap, the two teams locked horns in a defensive duel through the opening three innings, with WWU opening the scoring in the top of the fourth. Fletcher led off the inning with a first-pitch home run to deep left field, with Robert Butvin (Mantua, Ohio) following up with a double. After
Blake Wilson (Cairo, Mo.) struck out,
Austin Clapp (Macon, Mo.) plated Butvin with a double of his own.
The Bulldogs were finally able to level the score in the bottom of the sixth, but William Woods retook the lead in the top of the seventh and slammed the door on Benedictine-Springfield in the bottom of the seventh.
WWU moves to 24-13 on the year, with a 9-7 mark in AMC action. The Owls host Central Methodist University in a doubleheader on Tuesday night. First pitch is set for 5 p.m.
