FULTON, Mo.—After spending the first month of the 2014 season on the road, the (RV) William Woods University softball team will finally get to play in front of the home crowd on Friday afternoon, as the Owls host its first American Midwest Conference double header against Benedictine University at Springfield. First-pitch will be thrown at 2 p.m.
The Owls (11-8), are coming off a 1-1 road trip in Baldwin City, Kan., against Baker University, where the Owls won game one 4-0 behind the offensive and pitching performances of seniors
Lindsey LeCuru and
MacKenzie Bowden. In game two, however, the Wildcats were able to shut down the WWU offense and win 3-0.
Lindsey LeCuru paced the offense in game one, going 2-for-4 and totaled a season-high four RBI, while on the hill Bowden was nearly unhittable in her complete game outing, allowing just three hits and struck out a season-high 15 batters.
The team has won four out of its last six games, outscoring its opponents 27-17 and offensively have been led by reigning AMC Player of the Week
Shelby LeCuru, who holds a .500 average (7-for-14) with six runs scored, two triples and tied for the team lead in RBI having six.
"She is playing both sides of the field very consistently," said head coach
Tracy Gastineau. "Even when she has been off at the plate, she still plays very well defensively for us. She has done exactly what we wanted her to do on defense and now she is becoming a big part of the offense," she added. Â
In her past three starts on the mound, Bowden has been fantastic, winning all three games with a 2.37 ERA, holding opponents to a mere .182 batting average and has a K/BB ratio of 41/7.
On the season, the offense is batting .267, led by
Lindsey LeCuru's .397 average (23-for-58) with 13 runs scored, three home runs and 12 RBI. Another threat in the lineup has been junior
Kacey Scharnhorst, who is hitting .313 (15-for-48) with 10 runs scored, two home runs and 12 RBI.
Meanwhile, on the mound, the trio of
Julie Scheer, Bowden and
Becca Schemmer continue to give opposing hitters problems at the plate, as each hurler has an ERA under 3.00 and have combined for 146 strikeouts.
After battling the weather and arguably the toughest non-conference schedule not only in the AMC, but in the NAIA as well, the Owls will play its lone home games in the month of March against the Bulldogs (5-8).
"We played a tough schedule and wanted to win those games because in order to get into the top 25, you have to beat top 25 teams," said Gastineau. "I think we can be better, but I am very confident that this tough non-conference schedule will pay off when we enter into AMC play."
BenU-Springfield had its struggles to start the season, but have now found their groove, as they are on a season-high four game winning streak, outscoring its opponents 35-6.
Offensively, the Bulldogs are batting .312 as a team through 13 games and are led by Kerri Beasley batting .429 (15-for-35), with eight runs scored three doubles and a team-high 15 RBI. Shannon Stuart is another player to keep an eye out for, as she holds a .361 average (13-for-36) and is second on the team in RBI with five.
On the hill, Abbie Watton leads the pitching staff with a 4.02 ERA in three starts (2-1), throwing in 15 2/3 innings and has totaled 12 strikeouts. Katie Stapleton leads the team in wins with three in six starts, totaling 26 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings.
"We need to play our game against BenU-Springfield," said Gastineau. "We beat them last year, but it is a whole new season, where they have definitely improved playing close games against teams that we have played as well. When it comes down to conference games, however, it can go either way, so we just need to play our game and hope to come out with two victories."
Fans stay updated on wwuowls.com tomorrow night for a full recap and score on the team's home opener.
