FULTON, Mo.- The William Woods baseball team has now won five of their last six American Midwest Conference games and look to have their offense continue rolling against Lindenwood University-Belleville in a non-conference double header, starting at 1:00 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Owls (15-14, 11-7 AMC) are coming off a double-header sweep of Hannibal-LaGrange, winning game one in comeback fashion 5-4 and putting nine runs on the board in the first inning in game two, going on for the 12-1 victory.
In game one, the Owls trailed 4-0 against the Trojans heading into the fifth inning. William Woods, however, cut into the deficit scoring twice in the fifth and made the comeback successful, scoring twice again in the top of the seventh.
Then in the top of the ninth,
Justin Elmore, who reached base on a fielder's choice, was able to score from first base after two consecutive throwing errors by the Trojans defense, giving the Owls a one run victory.
Matt Thomas got the victory throwing three innings of shutout ball and struck out three Trojan hitters.
In game two, the Owls offense exploded for nine runs on six hits, taking a commanding 9-0 lead after the first inning. The team would go on to add one run in the fifth and two in the sixth, for the 12-1 victory.
Starter
Garret Haslag got the win for William Woods, throwing 4 1/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits and striking out one. The 3-4 hitters of Nichols and Thomas combined to go 5-for-7 with three runs scored and five RBI. Hamrock had good day at the leadoff position, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while Sweet and
Austin Clapp both went 2-for-3, with Sweet scoring twice and Clapp adding one RBI.
The Lynx (11-15, 0-0 AOI), are coming off a double-header split with Southeastern (Fla.), falling in game one 10-5, but won game two 12-8. In game one, the Lynx out-hit Southeastern 12-11, but couldn't overcome a 5-0 deficit after two innings of play. Christian Cavaness and Tyler Ford both went 3-for-4 on the day, with Ford chipping in two RBI.
The offense in game two was led by the 1-2-3 hitters of Sean Keeney, Kyle Forsythe and Trey Meier, as the trio combined to go 7-for-13 with two runs scored and seven RBI. Dylan Skinner went 3-for-5 on the afternoon, with two runs scored and one RBI.
Owls Offense Explodes Against Park
The Owls went 3-1 against Park University last weekend, and the offense came alive totaling 46 runs in the four game set. The biggest offensive out-put for both teams came in the finale, when William Woods won 26-16. The Owls totaled 23 hits and the box score read, eight runs in the first, four in the second, three in the third, six in the fourth, one in the fifth, one in the sixth and three in the eighth.
Zach Nichols ended the game with a walk-off three run homer, as the team 10 run ruled the Pirates. The 26 runs were the second highest amount in school history, as in 2006, the William Woods team put 29 runs on Westminster.
In the four game series, the Owls batted an astounding 0.428, with six players batting over 0.400.
Jacob Harrison held the top average through four games played, hitting a solid 0.625 (10-for-16) with three RBI, a 0.625 slugging percentage and an on base percentage of 0.647.
Stephen Kohler (0.579), Greg Hamrock (0.526),
Jordan Thompson (0.500),
Austin Clapp (0.455) and
Matt Thomas (0.429) were the other Owls having a great offensive series.
Home Field Advantage
Compared to being 2-5 on the road, the Owls have played very well in front of the home crowd, going 8-2, winning four out of their last six home games. The schedule favors William Woods the rest of the season, with the team only traveling on the road once and that is to Williams Baptist this weekend.
Owls Improve Conference Stats
After their very offensive minded series against Park University, the Owls now rank third in overall batting average, hitting 0.313. On the hill, the team also ranks third in pitching, holding a 4.57 ERA through 212 2/3 innings pitched. The hurlers also hold their opponents to a 0.271 average, which is third in the conference, trailing Lyon College (0.269) and Missouri Baptist (0.241).
Players To Keep an Eye Out For (William Woods)
The Owls are batting 0.313 as a team and are led by Hamrock and Kohler, both of whom are batting over 0.400. Hamrock leads the team with a 0.433 average (39-for-90), with nine doubles, 20 run scored, 14 RBI and a 0.533 slugging percentage. Kohler, meanwhile, continues to hit well, batting 0.417 (35-for-84), with 19 runs scored and 11 RBI. With those high batting averages, both Kohler and Hamrock are ranked 1-2 in the conference.
Jacob Harrison has moved his average up to 0.353 through 27 games played, while
Zach Nichols is right behind Harrison hitting 0.351. Thomas (0.333), Switzer (0.333), Sweet (0.316), and Elmore (0.313) are the other Owl hitters batting over 0.300.
On the mound, the Owl hurlers lowered their ERA to 4.57 after the impressive performances at Hannibal-LaGrange.
Adam Brush leads the starters with a 2.89 ERA through eight games started (four complete games), has a 4-3 record and a K/BB ratio of 39/20. Both
Jeremy Ahillen (3.29) and
Dane Smith (3.40) are two other starters with an ERA under 3.50. The relievers are led by
Damon Adrian with a 1.50 ERA and
Matt Thomas earning a 1.69, to go along with a 2-1 record and four saves which is first in the conference.
Players To Keep An Eye Out For (Lindenwood University- Belleville)
The Lynx hold a team batting average of 0.284, led by Trey Meier, who is batting 0.380 (30-for-79) through 25 games played, adding 15 runs scored, eight doubles, two home runs and 21 RBI. Kyle Forsythe is also hitting the ball well, as he has earned a 0.368 average and is second on the team in runs scored with 17. Another player to keep an eye out for is Sean Keeney, who like Meier are the power hitters in the Lynx lineup. Keeney has a 0.341 average, with eight doubles, 17 runs scored, two home runs and is tied with Meier in RBI (21).
On the mound, Joseph Phelps leads the starters with a 2.93 ERA through five games started. Phelps has thrown four complete games, to go along with a 3-2 record in 30 2/3 innings pitched. He also holds the best K/BB ratio at 24/3. Starter Derek Cox is second on the team with a 4.41 ERA, leading the team in wins with four through five games started. Reliever Michael Sabatino holds the top ERA (0.82) in 11.0 innings pitched.
